The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Concealed Conclusion
by porpierita
Summary: A Bartimaeus Trilogy ending. After Ptolemy's Gate. Nathaniel is in a coma after surviving Nouda. Kitty plans a way to help him...by summoning the djinni Bartimaeus once again inside Nat's body! Bartimaeus Trilogy belongs to Jonathan Stroud. READ & REVIEW!
1. Prologue

**The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Concealed Conclusion**

_**By porpierita**_

**A/N: Hey! This is my first Bartimaeus Trilogy fan fiction so please no flames ;) If there are any errors, please tell me and I'll make the edits.**

**The characters may seem a bit OCish, but I haven't read the Bartimaeus Trilogy for a while, so my memory isn't that clear on their personalities. And sometimes, I found I didn't like some parts of their behavior, so I changed it a bit as well XD**

**Last thing, please review, even though this chappie is a lil' bit short (the others are longer, I promise). Also, my writing has changed a lot so the latter chapters might be better…(blushes)**

**Nathaniel**

As the Staff exploded, Nathaniel was thrown backwards against the side of the structure, the force was so hard—he could hardly breathe. Hearing his ribs crack, he slid down to the floor where the power of the Staff caused a roof chip to topple over onto him.  
took a sharp intake of breath as the chip hit him. His breath was a mere rasping noise, and his lips were dried and his throat dehydrated.

Bartimaeus was not with him now. He was alone, but the thought of Kitty safe with the Amulet neutralised that horrible feeling.

What would happen when he died? What was the Spirit World like? Would he meet Ptolemy? Nathaniel agreed with himself that if he were indeed to come face to face…or essence to essence with Ptolemaeus, he would inform the boy of how Bartimaeus had missed him. Including the fact that Kitty had followed his _Apocrypha._

Nathaniel could hear Nouda thrashing away somewhere far, until a big block of silver and glass collapsed down, silencing the spirit. If he hadn't been thrown back, Nouda would clearly have killed him now, what with the fact that just milliseconds before, its tentacles had been slashing down upon him…until he had been hurled back. Everywhere, destruction was being made. Everything was burning, exploding, collapsing. It would be a miracle if he were to escape out of here alive.

Nathaniel felt his head spin. He swooned heavily, then passed out. The lower foundations couldn't hold up the upper structures anymore, causing the rest of the building to collapse. Over the magician, but not onto him. No, the structure was holding up in a dilapidated, deformed way.

And there was Nathaniel, trapped inside in a hollow of glass and silver, where he would lie unconcious until someone found him.

**A/N: How'd you like it? That's just the prologue, so next chapter is probably up in a few days…depending on my speed of writing—maybe even tomorrow. This is, after all, a short ending; it's just an added conclusion.**

**Anyways, reviews are much appreciated!**


	2. Prologue Version 2

**A/N: This is the second version of the Prologue. You can read either ones, I don't really mind, but the rest of the story will follow up with the first Prologue, since I can't really be bothered to change it…but don't worry! It's not that big a deal which Prologue you read. The story sorta turns out the same anyways ;)**

**Nathaniel**

The Staff exploded. Bartimaeus went. And Nathaniel was thrown back. Not just against the ordinary wall. No, the already injured boy was propelled out, through shards and panes of glass, as they collapsed down, and out of the Glass Palace. He flew on and on through the air, only slightly concious of his pain, as every muscle in his body ached with tiredness. His momentum caused his form, looking limp and like a rag doll to start swinging down, but he was only partially aware of that. He was busy thinking other thoughts.

Then, suddenly, some ornamental bushes broke his fall, the ones he had seen right before entering to meet Nouda. And after passing through them with an excess of force landed in a huge pond. No…it was a _fountain._ One of the many he had previously noticed. His back seared with pain as something broke off and thumped him on the midriff. He groaned in protest, trying to wriggle free of the heavy stone. Water was sloshing all around him, and it cooled his fragile body, making the boy feel like was being plunged into a spring…

He gave up trying to escape from the weight pinning him down, and all worries flitted in and out of his mind. Nouda was dead, the mission was accomplished, but would he live to tell the tale? Would he live to enjoy the glory? _No,_ said another voice. _I don't want eternal glory anymore. I'm done with being a magician. The only good things that would come out of it were the runnings of this country. And the correct ways of treating demons…no, spirits. _He sunk deeper into the water, and sunk deeper into his feelings of remorse and regret. He hated himself for everything he'd done.

Blood seeped through his clothes from the side wound. It was making him swoon. His mouth was dehydrated and in need of water. _Well, there's plenty here, _he thought queezily, gagging on the liquid as he opened his mouth. Nathaniel's energies seeped away, along with the trail of scarlet blood pouring out of his very soul. He was in a half-concious state now, only slightly aware of the burning far away, as the heat radiated onto his face.

It was a silent night, albeit the burning all around him. But Nathaniel could worry no more. All he could think was that if he died, he would tell the essence of Ptolemaeus of Bartimaeus's preferred form, Kitty's following of his _Apocrypha,_ and the memories of the Egyptian boy still here, carried on by Bartimaeus.

His last drop of energy flowed out of his form, and with that, Nathaniel smiled, gradually passing out. _If this is death, _a thought flitted across his mind. _It's not so bad after all._

**A/N: I hope this version has no plot holes! The main reason I wrote this one was that there were tonnes in the first Prologue, even if I'm gonna use that one as the main one.**


	3. Chapter 1: Her Misunderstood Losses

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait…I've been busy lately with all my homework! Well…here's the next part…nothing really happens, you'll have to wait for the next chapter! Sorry about that…just read it anyways :)**

**Kitty**

**Chapter 1: Her Misunderstood Losses**

Kitty arrived at home. Knocking on the door, she found out that they were not home. No worries. Last time, her parents had given her a spare key, which would allow her access.

But Kitty's mind was somewhere else.

_He promised, _she thought. _He promised. Typical really, never kept a promise before._ Still, she felt as if part of her heart had been ripped out of her chest, crushed, and then stuffed back in again.

The raven-haired girl entered the house. Everything was the same: the living room; the squashed kitchen; the old TV which only received the news channels sometimes…walking up to her old bedroom, Kitty flopped down onto her bed. She looked up at the ceiling. _Nathaniel, _she thought. _He told me his real name…he promised he'd come back…_

It was quite obvious really, what had happened. Nathaniel had dismissed Bartimaeus, therefore triggering the Staff automatically. Meaning that Bartimaeus was still alive…but why had he sacrificed himself?

_He's turning good. He's not that evil John Mandrake anymore. He's the young, ambitious, Nathaniel now._

_No, they're all the same. Every one of them._

_Not him. He's different. You _know _that._

_No!_

She held her tears back as the lump in her throat began to grow. Feeling frustrated, Kitty stomped over to her bathroom, turning on the shower.

She let the hot water pound her forehead and tried to forget everything over the pass four days. Four days since the incident. Kitty turned off the shower. Four days since Nathaniel had…had _died. _Kitty got dressed in her T-shirt and jeans. Four days she'd been able to hold them back…four days she had forced herself not to cry…until now, when the crystal droplets finally came.

More than half a week's worth of tears came pouring down her cheeks and face. Clear drops dripped down…curving around her cheekbones. She wiped the tears off with the back of her hand. It glistened with the liquid.

Kitty had heard of the phrase 'crying a river' but had never thought it true. Now she realised what it felt like to lose someone this important to her.

_But how important was he?_ She asked herself. _What did I think of him? _She couldn't say it could she? _Did I…_

_Thump, thump, thump_, her thoughts were interrupted at that moment by a rapping on the door.

Kitty walked down the stairs, taking her time until the rapping sound grew louder.

_What is with these people? Can't they tell I need some peace and quiet???_

Opening the door, Kitty found two government members—she recognized their suits—standing on the front steps.

"_May I help you?_" Kitty asked quite icily.

The two men looked at each other skeptically. The older one looked as if he was history, and was wearing what seemed to be last century's fashion. His skin was like parchment, and its colour a ghostly yellow. The younger however was the complete opposite. He dressed himself in bright colours—which reminded Kitty of how Nathaniel used to dress once—with his skin a pinkish brown.

The older one replied: "Ms Jones? Ah…Ms Piper sent us here. Actually, we volunteered but yes, she just wanted us to come inform you—"

The younger one seemed more enthusiastic and cut the older off; "—that Mr. John Mandrake, Information Minister, has been found…alive."

………………………………………………………………………………………

Kitty swooned. Her head felt dizzy. She couldn't have heard correctly…Nathaniel? Back? Alive? It was all too much to take.

Leaning against the opened door, Kitty asked weakly, "B—but—but how come I didn't hear about it?"

Again the men looked at each other. It was clear that Kitty had lost her icy composture, but Kitty didn't care.

"It's er…on the news? Every channel?" the younger replied, looking at Kitty as though she had some mental disease.

_How stupid can I get??? _Kitty asked herself. She half jogged, half ran to the living room, and turned on her parents' old TV. The screen crackled and static passed over the audio. Then a flicker of an image popped up, showing a hospital trolley with a form lying on it: Nathaniel.

The medical cables hanging all around, the doctors, nurses, journalists, reporters, ministers, government members, running about, though, blocked his face and before Kitty could hear anything other than '_…Information Minister John Mandrake has been found in the ruins of…'_ the TV screen made a _whoop_ sound and went black.

His clothes though, Kitty had seen, were torn, ripped, scorched, and ruined to standards that could not be fixed.

"We're supposed to escort you there, Ms. Jones," the young one said. "I suggest we go now, as we also have a lot of work to do…other than sending women off to hospitals to meet men…"

Kitty glared at him before running upstairs to grab a coat from her closet. It fit snugly. She ran down the stairs, through the nearly closing door the pink-cheeked man had just exited, and straight into the open door of the limousine waiting in the street.

**A/N: Is that ending considered a cliffy? Don't know…maybe a minor one. Anyways, please review!!!**


	4. Chapter 2: We Meet Again

**A/N: Ah…here comes the part where Kitty meets Nathaniel! This chapter is especially long, more than the Prologue and Chapter 1 together!!! Very sentimental (well, for me), this part :) Notice anything about the doctor's name?**

**Kitty**

**Chapter 2: We Meet Again**

They arrived at the hospital. Kitty stepped out of the car, and out into the cold night. A chilly breeze was blowing away as frosty, white, snowflakes began to drift down upon her, settling in her hair.

Teeth chattering, Kitty followed the two men up into the warm _London Hospital—_such a typical name. There was a front desk, with a plump lady dressed in pink seated behind it, tapping away at her keyboard. Her blonde curls looked sort of puffy around her head, giving her the appeareance of a pig dressed up.

The waiting room lay in front of it. Sick citizens waited for the doctors here. Kitty could tell though, that this was a high-class hospital. No beggars, or commoners were seated around, as with no children either, only a few apprentices.

Ms Piper was seated on one of the chairs, holding a cup of coffee in her two hands, staring into space. She looked up when Kitty entered and gave her a warm, but sad, smile.

"Ms Jones…I'm so glad you came," Ms Piper said, rising to give Kitty a welcoming half-hug.

"Please, call me Kitty."

Ms Piper smiled, but Kitty interrupted her warmness.

"So, you found him?" Kitty asked. She was worried about the answer.

"Well, yes," the secretary replied slowly. "In a shocking state. You'll see when we arrive at his room…VIP I'm telling you. And he deserves it too, after all he's been through…well, if you follow me…" and with that, Ms Piper led off down the corridor beside the waiting room.

"You see Kitty, the government had to clean up the whole area—which was filled with shrapnel and other bits and pieces—before they found his body buried under this huge slab of glass with another piece covering his chest, blocking his airway. He was hardly breathing. I was waiting for the doctor to give us his report…gone to do some tests on him…" her voice was filled with misery as it trailed off.

Kitty's mind drifted. If he didn't live? What would she do? She couldn't just sit idly doing nothing when Nathaniel lay dying right in front of her eyes, well, not yet, she had to wait until she was in the room. But that wasn't the point, the point was that, she was sure she would be weighed down by guilt if she didn't do something and Nathaniel didn't survive.

Before she came to a decision, they arrived at a room entitled _VIP Guest: John Mandrake_. So the government members _hadn't _heard her when she called Nathaniel by his real name. How ignorant they could be. Even Ms. Piper hadn't heard when she had called him 'Nathaniel' in their talk after the Glass Palace Incident just earlier yesterday! She had stated clearly '…ago Nathaniel accomplished it for me…' and _still _Ms. Piper hadn't heard? Well, maybe it was due to the fact that she had had so much on her mind what with all the work that had to be sorted out. That was one good thing that day…apart from finding out about Nathaniel still alive. Well, at least for the time being.

Ms Piper pushed open the door, with Kitty taking a deep breath, closing her eyes, and following inside.

………………………………………………………………………………………

The room was plain—with white wallpaper, patterned with tiny blue flowers. A TV sat on a table, facing a bed in the middle of the room. Next to the bed, a small desk stood beside, where next to it, a tiny visitor's stool was placed.

There was a window on the other side of the room, and Kitty could see the snowflakes drifting down from the midnight sky. All was tranquil. All was peaceful. All was hopeless.

But she was going to change that.

Kitty stopped thinking when her eyes cast upon the form lying on the duvet covers of the bed.

His face was gaunt, pale as paper, with several scratches, cuts and bruises on it. His ink-like hair was sticking out at random ends. His eyes were closed, and his mouth slightly opened. Kitty heard a quiet rasping sound coming out from it. His hands were clasped lightly on top of his stomach. He had no casts to indicate broken bones, but Kitty knew that that wasn't the problem. The problem was that he didn't have enough strength, not having eaten anything for basically four days. He didn't have the energy to fight anything.

_Nathaniel…_

Once more, Kitty forced her tears back. It was too much to take—again.

"Kitty…I'll just be er…off to leave you two alone," Ms Piper, seeing how uncomfortable she looked, left the room without another sound.

Kitty stood still, staring at the sleeping Nathaniel. She walked over to him, her gaze penetrating his face.

Reaching for his hand, Kitty closed her eyes.

_Not again…_ she thought. _Don't cry _again_…please…_

But her body refused to obey, and again, the liquids were let out.

………………………………………………………………………………………

She stopped when the door opened, and this time, it wasn't Ms Piper. A bald man in a white coat walked in, carrying a clipboard.

"Ah…you must be Ms. Jones, correct?" the man spoke with a voice that seemed to be normally of a jolly nature but was now sad and somber.

"E—er yes, I am," Kitty replied, stuttering. "But please, call me Kitty." She was annoyed of all this formality.

"Well, Kitty, I am Dr. Ildenheilth and I'm here to inform you of the sad news we have discovered." Taking a deep breath, the chubby man carried on.

"We've found out that Mr. Mandrake here has suffered too long, breathing radiation poisoning from all the dust and shrapnel from the explosion. His condition is not good. And I am very, very, sad to say; that there is nothing we can do about it. If he was found earlier, we could have cleared up his lungs, but now it is too late. All up to him. His body has to deal with the chemicals. Of course, his energy level is low too, and boosting it would be a great help, probably bringing him back to conciousness and increasing his chance of survival by about eighty percent, but us doctors can't figure a way to enhance the energy—"

"So?" Kitty asked impatiently. "You're doctors for heaven's sake! You're supposed to help people, not just leave it up to their own bodies!"

The bald man started to fiddle with his coat. "Well, you see, we really have no other conclusion…he could die any minu—day now…"

"How long?" Kitty asked.

"How long what?" Dr. Ildenheilth asked back, unintentionally.

"How long does he have to live of course!" Kitty shouted. Really, these doctors were so stupid she could replace one of them instead.

"Er…I…"

"Just answer me!" she was on the verge of tears...again. Not just because she was angry, but also because she was upset, sad, and _so_ hopeless.

"It's complicated to say…"

"Tell me. How long?" Kitty lowered her voice to a dangerous whisper—different tactic, which would've worked better if tears hadn't dripped down her cheeks, sort of ruining the effect.

Dr. Ildenheilth took a deep breath and held it. "If he doesn't wake up by tomorrow morning, he'll probably stay like this…" he let out the air, "…for the rest of his life."

Kitty inhaled sharply. She looked at her watch. _Tommorow morning? It's nearly one o'clock in the morning! Dawn starts around six… No…it couldn't_ _be…five hours?_

The bald doctor sighed quietly, shaking his head, then exited out of the room.

Kitty collapsed onto the stool, breathing heavily, staring, eyes unfocused. She turned to look at the sleeping Nathaniel.

No, she couldn't loose him. The doctors couldn't save him, because they were idiots and didn't have a solution. But they also weren't magicians, and didn't know how to summon anything or do anything magicians could.

Well, Kitty did, but the question was, would it help?

Kitty bit her lip and frowned. What did Dr. Ildenheilth say about boosting his energy level? Didn't he say that it would have an eighty percent increase in his chance of survival? How could she increase his energy level?

Her eyes widened. A plan hatched in her head. She thought of something. Something that Nathaniel himself had just done, before giving her the Amulet of Samarkand and getting buried in the explosion. Something only magicians could do (Kitty included—she possessed that skill). Something that involved summoning the djinni she never thought she'd meet again.

**A/N: Ah…cliffy!!! I bet you all guessed who the djinni was! And this'll spoil it for you: next chapter is in the Bartimaeus format!**

**So, did any of you notice anything about Dr. Ildenheilth's name? Anything at all?**

**Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	5. Chapter 3: The Deal Is Sealed

**A/N: Sorry for the really long wait! My schedule is so hectic, with all the homework I have to do…**

**Oh, and the question I asked before in Chapter 2: We Meet Again (about Dr. Ildenheilth's name), I put Ildenheilth because:**

**Il-den-heilth equals Ill-then-health!**

**Get it now? It was fun making up that name…I was debating on different ones.**

**Anyways, guess who's next? It's your favourite djinni coming up!**

**Bartimaeus**

**Chapter 3: The Deal Is Sealed**

I was floating around in the Other Place, when I felt something tug at my essence. Aw…crap. Someone's summoning me again.

I had only been here for a few moments, and now, I have to go back to my tedious task of serving magicians?

Well…not necessarily magicians, I mean, a commoner had summoned me before…a certain commoner.

She was in my book of favorite masters—one of the top three in fact. The top three consisted of her; an Egyptian boy, who died a few millenniums ago; and a young, British magician, who coincidentally took the same death path as the Egyptian one (1).

I heaved a sigh (2), and chose my appearance as…well, Nathaniel…(3)

When I materialized into a pentacle, the form of Nathaniel I was wearing took a sharp breath, because, just a few feet away, it saw the real Nathaniel lying on a bed.

………………………………………………………………………………………

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief…or rather, Nathaniel rubbed his eyes, the fake Nathaniel I mean. After a while, I stopped, pinching myself to make sure this wasn't a dream.

"He's alive," I said tonelessly.

"Hi, Bartimaeus," replied Kitty to my statement. "Surprised?" she asked. I looked at her. She was different. Her aura was so low you could hardly detect it at all. She had bags under her eyes, which, may I add, were really red? (4) As if from crying?

"Er…" I could hardly find a word to say. It was such a shock, I mean, that Nathaniel was alive at any rate. So I just nodded my head.

Kitty smiled weakly. "So am I."

"How did…how did he survive?" was all I managed to croak out.

Kitty smiled a little. "For once, the mighty Bartimaeus doesn't know the answer. Fine, do you really want to know?"

"Enlighten me," I said, sitting down in the pentacle. She probably knew what had happened with Gladstone's Staff and how Nat had dismissed me, therefore triggering the Staff automatically. Now it was my turn to be told the truth, which was what Kitty precisely did.

………………………………………………………………………………………

"And that's how I ended up here," Kitty finished. "Bartimaeus, I really need your help. Nathaniel needs your help. I know it's been tough for you, but this is the last time I'll summon you again, I promise. And if Nathaniel wakes up too," she cast a glance at the sleeping form on the bed, "I'll make sure he doesn't summon you again either."

I raised one eyebrow. Kitty? Control Nathaniel? I would have said impossible…but before the explosion, I would have thought Nat had developed a soft spot for Kitty. And another task? If it was in my reach—I'd do almost anything for Kathleen Kitty Jones (5). I mean, she wasted a few years of her life visiting me in the Other Place…

"Unless you want to be summoned of course," she joked, smiling mischieviously.

I raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "So what do you want me to do? I can't see any other way until waiting, I mean, how am I supposed to help him?" I asked, certain that she had no idea.

"The doctor said that if he doesn't wake up by tomorrow morning, he'll stay like this forever." Her voice was very faint, I had to strain by ears to hear her. Dawn was at six, and it was around half past one now…four and a half hours???

"Exactly." I replied. "There's no way except to wait! Or do you want me to go find some magical medicine?"

Kitty glared at me, and narrowed her eyes. Sign to shut up. "Dr. Ildenheilth said that he needs an energy boost, and—"

"Hold on," I raised a hand to cut her off. "An energy boost? How am I supposed to do that? I can't _transfer _powers you know."

Kitty looked annoyed. "Yes, but you can _share_ powers, don't forget."

"How?" I retorted back. "How am I supposed to—oh. I see." I shook my head. "Not a chance I'm gonna do that again. Negative. Nuh-uh."

"Bartimaeus," she begged, tears springing to her eyes. "You're my only chance—Nathaniel's only chance. Please."

"You can find some other _demon_ to help you. I'm sure a lowly djinni like me can't help you with anything much. Why don't you summon a greater spirit?" I asked, though I knew the answer pretty much.

"Well of course, I can't _trust _anyone other than you!" she said with such a familiar tone that I immediately thought of Ptolemy. His trust in me. His following me to the Other Place. His death, whilst I alone survived. I set my jaw.

"Fine, but once he's conscious, I'm departing. Tell him that he has to dismiss me right away, okay?

Kitty beamed. "Thank-you, Bartimaeus, thank-you so much," she sobbed.

I went sorta red. "Maybe you should just go draw the pentacle and stuff…" I mumbled.

Kitty smiled, shook her head, and began her task that _I_, for once, set _her._

………………………………………………………………………………………

(1) _If you wanna know who they all are, check my full accounts._

(2)_ Figuratively of course…duh. Just dumbing it for you humans._

(3)_ I know, I know. It's just that I've taken Kitty's form before, when trying to annoy Nat; and I've turned into Ptolemy a trillion times before too, not that it's bad or anything. It's just that Natty boy took the same steps as Ptolemy had in the end, and I feel sorta bad not honoring him by taking his form…if it's just once. Anyway, back to the story._

(4) _Her eyes I mean. Not the bags under her eyes._

(5)_ Not that I'd ever dream of telling her this._

**A/N: How'd you like it? Sorry for my style of writing 'Bartimaeus'. I can't really do it. It's sort of informal, with really difficult stuff you only find in formal writing mixed up with it? Oh well, whatever, you guys will have to tolerate my style of writing 'Bartimaeus' whilst reading this fan fiction!**

**Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	6. Chapter 4: Perfecting the Task

**A/N: Short chapter. Reviews appreciated :D**

**Kitty**

**Chapter 4: Perfecting the Pentacles**

Kitty retrieved the chalk she had found in her jacket—it was probably from one of her previous summonings.

First, she wiped clean the pentacle she had stood in. Kitty trusted Bartimaeus and was sure he wasn't going to just come out and eat her up like the other demons were sure to do.

After that was done, she drew a large pentacle, with Nathaniel's bed standing inside it. The words needed were going to have to change, but she would deal with those later. Kitty scratched in the break, and walked over to Bartimaeus's pentacle, adding a break in his too.

"Really trusting, aren't you?" the djinni asked. "Are you sure I'm not just going to come out and gobble you up?"

"Bartimaeus, really," Kitty replied, with a stern tone. "And can you change your form? You're giving me a head ache, looking at two Nathaniels. And it's…nevermind."

Bartimaeus—or rather, Nathaniel—curled his upper lip, and then rolled his eyes, changing into a translucent cloud of pale, white, smoke, with a pair of yellow, luminous eyes, settling in the center.

"Happy now?" it asked, out of nowhere.

Kitty huffed, then turned back to her task of perfecting her pentacles. She drew them with great precision, making sure that everything was going according to plan. But she did do it quite swiftly, as if she had been drawing pentacles since she was an apprentice from youth like others. Finally, when the pentacles were perfected, Kitty spoke to Bartimaeus once more.

"Bartimaeus, I'm going to have to improvise the incantation, so just get ready." She stepped into the big pentacle around Nathaniel's bed.

Bartimaeus merely nodded, or rather, the smoky blob merely floated up and down.

And with that, Kitty started the incantation.

**A/N: Really short I know, but I'm gonna write as if each chapter can only have one person's point of view. That'll be easier to separate and define. Read on for Bartimaeus!**

**But please review first!**


	7. Chapter 5: The Combining of Two

**A/N: I know it's been a long wait. I'm just doing other fan fictions too, and I'm planning my own novel. Darn it. I don't have enough time to write this fan fic fast. Anyways, read on, and the next chapter, I assure you, will give you an insight on Nathaniel's dream…about a certain Ms. Kathleen Jones ;)**

**Bartimaeus**

**Chapter 5: The Combining Of Two**

I felt myself dragged up and out, over the break of the pentacle and towards Nathaniel, letting my essence be pulled limply across, eyes glowing. Everything was going according to plan…well, that was until I took a sharp turn and headed for Kitty who was also standing in the pentacle.

The girl's eyes filled with shock and panic, she quickly changed the words and incantation, adding and altering parts. It seemed to do the trick. I floated away from her again (1).

Instead of like the last time I entered a human's form, this time, it was much more soft and delicate. Kitty's words had worked, lowering me gently into Nathaniel's form. I closed my luminous eyes and felt my essence being refreshed, rebuilt, and reborn.

………………………………………………………………………………………

Plunged into the flesh of Nathaniel, I couldn't see anything. That stupid git was still closing his eyes. Nevermind. I would have to cooperate (2).

"Bartimaeus?" Kitty asked. I could hear her alright, but I wasn't sure if I could reply. Nathaniel's mouth was clamped tightly shut (3), but I guess I could give it a try.

Kitty seemed to sense my feelings and emotions since at that precise moment, she said, "No, don't waste energy, I'll just be waiting here. Incase you want to know how much time we've got left, we've got…" I assumed Kitty checked her wristwatch, "under four hours…" her voice faded out.

Now, all I had to do was check if everything was right in place. The body seemed to be functioning fine, with the exception of the wheezy lungs, but other than that, it was all good. Suddenly, a thought drifted across Nathaniel's mind. No, not a thought, a dream. And I couldn't resist the temptation to take a peek inside.

………………………………………………………………………………………

"_Catch this djinni Bartimaeus and compress him with merciful care and lower him into the form of Nathaniel," Kitty spoke. Unlike Natty, her words to ensnare me weren't violated._

(2) _Mind you, it was very, _very_, tempting to take over his body and mind and control it as I pleased._

_But no…Ms. perfectionist-life-saver Jones would have none of it as usual._

(3) _Well, not _that _tight. Just glued together, using his saliva, which made the rims of his lips stick slightly together. In the center it was open though. _That _was where the rasping noise came from._

_He also had this weird, ashy, taste in his mouth. Ew…I could recommend some mouthwash for him. Or a nice toothbrush for his birthday._

**A/N: I know it's short, but I updated the Kitty one before too, so I guess that evens it out.**

**And lastly, at the risk of sounding cliched, please review ;)**


	8. Chapter 6: Dreams

**A/N: Next part up! This is the most…er…emotional part I've written. It's about how Nathaniel dreams something about Kitty…enjoy ;)**

**Nathaniel**

**Chapter 6: Dreams**

He was running. He was out of breath. The demons, they were chasing him. He whirled around. They were approaching him, and fast.

He rose up his hands as if to protect himself. Then suddenly, they were gone. He lowered his hands hesitantly…

And there she was, standing, here aura glowing as if she was an angel, descending down from heaven, to Earth, to protect him. She held out the Amulet of Samarkand, with it's green, jade, center, shining ever so brightly.

_"Nathaniel…"_ she whispered. _"Nathaniel…"_

"K—Kitty?" he said, producing only a tiny, rasping noise.

_"Nathaniel…you must understand…I am dying…" she said. "I have given all my strength to you…and now, I am dying…"_

He watched as her aura began to fade, and he watched as her body began to dematerialize. The demons returned.

"No!" he reached out a hand as if to grab her. "No! Don't go! Kitty! I'm sorry of all the bad things I've done. I'm sorry of all the harm I've caused you! I—"

_"Nathaniel…remember what you have said…I have wasted my life away to protect yours. Keep it safe. Don't do anymore selfish deeds…"_ she was merely visible now.

"No…" he said. "Please…no…I…I love…you…" he could feel his tears now. He could feel his concious slipping away. He could…he couldn't…he couldn't hold on…he was…

_Whoosh_. A surge of energy inside him. _Whoosh_, another surge. _Whoosh_, a third surge. He was replenished with energy.

Standing up, he ran away from the other demons as she disappeared. There was no time for mourning now. She was right. He had to save his life; otherwise, she had died for nothing. Once she had gone, the demons had been revived. He picked up the Amulet of Samarkand, which had clattered to the floor when she had disappeared.

Running, he leapt over dead bodies of magicians. Even when he felt dizzy, a torrent of energy rippled through him. Everytime he felt sick, weak, unable to continue, a new erruption of rushing, warm, liquid energy passed through his very pores, giving him not only the physical powers, but also the psychological need to carry on.

Finally, he reached the shore of a beach. With the dawn finally drawing near…he didn't know how he knew, but he spread out his arms, like as if he was about to fly.

With the cool breeze on his face, the soft sand beneath and the gentle waves rippling over his bare feet, he began to close his eyes.

He breathed in the salty sea air, he felt the wind carress his face…and then, as the cotton clouds parted, a sliver of sunlight fell onto him.

From behind, the demons all stopped. It looked to them as if he were glowing with his aura. They approached. Carefully.

Then, he began to disappear too. His body shivered, and with the essence, it started to depart. The sliver of sunlight grew larger, and as it did, his visibility decreased. Finally, the whole beam of sunlight shone onto the spot he was standing on, and with a final sparkling ray, he disappeared, leaving only two foot prints, embedded in the sand.

**A/N: Done! Sort of short and depressing but I just felt like writing something like this. Next up is Bartimaeus! Find out what he does when he pries into Nathaniel's little dream… ;)**

**And finally, I won't say it, but I'd just mention that I love my reviewers!!! (cough-I-love-reviews-too-cough)**


	9. Chapter 7: Barty's Sneaky Peek

**A/N: Quite a short chapter, but quite a lot happens compared to its length!**

**Bartimaeus**

**Chapter 7: Barty's Sneaky Peek**

I sneaked a tiny peek, and then withdrew out. I didn't want that slimy git to figure out I was disturbing his little sweet dreams. He didn't stir at all. I could see images flashing through his brain, but they didn't really make sense. Well, a big peek again wouldn't hurt now, would it?

So I casually eased myself into his thoughts and dreams.

Now what I saw was surely interesting. Of course, I couldn't see everything (1). The guy seemed to be dreaming a really weird dream, with Ms. Kitty Jones as his savior. Wait till I tell her about that.

He dreamt that he ran away from a pack of revived djinn, that after Kitty sacrificed herself for him, he had to save his own life. Duh, of course, he'd never changed, even though there _had _been a spark of decency before…but surely it was disappearing as quickly as before.

Then his dreams started to fade, as his energy ebbed away. I weighed the consequences, pros, cons, and all, and decided to send a surge of energy through him (2).

I read his mind. Nat's thoughts told me that he was so amazed by the energy and didn't know where it came from. Typical magician. Doesn't even recognize something when us _demons _help him.

Everytime he needed more energy, I provided it. Natty boy kept on running and running. Until he reached the shores of a beach.

He seemed to be breathing peacefully now. The djinn closed in (3) carefully now. Then a sliver of pale sunlight fell onto his form (4) and he started to fade away. He turned into a misty thing before a breeze came by and shattered the remains away, leaving only two footprints in the sand.

………………………………………………………………………………………

Then he stopped dreaming. His mind showed nothing, just spasms of pain occasionally. Well, it was time to start my healing then.

Gathering most of my energy which had been built up at my time in the Other Place, I pushed a surging amount of liquid strength into Nathaniel's body and mind. Don't get me wrong; I wasn't exactly giving it to him, more like just sharing it. You see, before, his body had refused the acceptance of my energy basically, but now, I felt his body shake slightly as it cautiously accepted the golden substance. Once the body had acknowledged the fact that this liquid was not dangerous but indeed helped it, it basically sucked up all my energy, forcing me to share it.

If I hadn't stopped it, I'd probably have nearly died from exhaustion. The liquid flowed through his veins and through to every cell of his body, whilst his pores steamed out the heat. This was different from the last time we shared energy. This time, the body was unconcious, and it did not have he power like last time to resist the vented strength like it did last time.

The substance rushed around in his bloodstream, dissolving finally into the blood itself. But it even changed the colour of the blood. It was redder, not that odd, dull, maroon colour anymore…instead the colour was scarlet.

His body drank up the remaining strength of me (5), until I too, finally started to grow weak. I couldn't help but drift off into a semi-concious state (6)…whilst still in Nat's sick body.

………………………………………………………………………………………

(1) _I saw it from his point of view. Just wanted to dumb it down for you people._

(2) _Don't get me wrong…I'm not going soft or anything. I just wanted to see what would happen next—hey, it was the climax of the dream okay?_

(3) _Excuse the rhyming._

(4) _This time I didn't see it from his eyes anymore. More of like a view from afar._

(5) _Even though we were only sharing it, imagine what would happen if he seriously _took _my energy? I would've _died _okay?_

(6) _Semi-concious because us djinn don't sleep, remember?_

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to write. Actually, it took only around half an hour but I didn't have time before, doing all my Artemis Fowl fan arts. Thanks to XxBlackChaosxX for the reminder on djinn not sleeping!!!**

**Clichéd but, please review!**


	10. Chapter 8: Wake Up Sleepy Head

**A/N: Thanks to XxBlackChaosxX for beta-ing my first few entries! They helped loads! If anyone wants to be help me with writing, tell me or send me a note. Thanks :D**

**Nathaniel**

**Chapter 8: Wake Up Sleepy Head**

A groan issued from his parted lips. His body was weak—every limb was sore as if he had just run a marathon without stretching and warming himself up first.

_Where am I?_ Nathaniel thought. He cracked open one eye slightly. He was in a room, on a bed. It looked like a hospital room. The last thing he remembered was…

Red lights, voices, and shouts going around about some sort of accident. He had been put onto a hospital trolley, and had had things attached to himself all over the place. Then he had slumped back down onto his pillow unconcious. Now he was here. That made sense. But he would have thought himself dead before now.

Nathaniel made an effort to sit up, but when his head spun, he lowered himself carefully down onto his pillow again, breathing deeply. _What had happened before that?_ Of course, something had collapsed onto him…then…all the memories came rushing back.

The Mercenary chasing him; Quentin Makepeace; Clem Hopkins; Gladstone's Staff; The Amulet of Samarkand; Ptolemy's Gate; Nouda…Bartimaeus…_Kitty._

He had given the Amulet to her…then he had dismissed Bartimaeus. The Staff had broken; Nouda was upon him; he was thrown back; Nouda had been silenced…just before the roof of the whole building collapsed.

Nathaniel tried to sit up again, and shakily, he pushed himself up with his hands, finally propping himself up on his elbows, panting heavily—all that effort, just for this? He surveyed his surroundings carefully. He felt normal, even if a bit weaker. The room was plain, with nothing really in there, except for the tiny TV sitting on a table that faced him, a small desk, and a visitor's stool. The stool itself served its purpose as a small table. On it was the _London Times _newspaper It was probably of that day.

Then as his eyes moved farther away from the school, they widened as they saw what was standing next to it. There stood a small one-seated plush sofa, and curled up in it with one of her legs dangling over the brim of the seat, was none other than Kitty Jones.

Her slightly grey hair—which was longer now that Nathaniel finally noticed—was hanging in strands in front of her face, and they moved slightly as her breath caught them when she exhaled. A small towel was draped over her form serving as a blanket, even though her feet still poked out from underneath them, revealing socks with many holes, whilst her sneakers she had been wearing were lying on the floor beside. Her once lively face was now pale and gaunt. Her aura barely visible now…

Aura? Since when was he able to see auras? No…it wasn't possible. Then there was a tiny sensation of something waking up inside him, and then his sight switched through more planes as Nathaniel saw sights in more colours and dimensions. Then it settled back into a sight close to his original one, plus the ability to see auras.

Now he felt more energy as it awoke fully. As the thing inside him shifted and aligned its vision to his eyes, he felt his own beginning to become clearer, just noticing that there was a fuzzy line around everything he had seen before his sight cleared.

"_Bartimaeus?"_ he croaked.

_Yes…it's me, gee; do you _need_ to wake me up? I wasn't even sleeping you know, just like, drifting between concious and unconcious states. That's how you could still see the aura around Ms. Jones over there._

Nathaniel was at lost for words. How did Bartimaeus get inside him? Surely he couldn't still be stuck here inside his form, he had dismissed that evil djinni!

_Hey, watch it pal. I'm not evil. You're the one who's egocentric._

_How on _Earth _did you get in here?_

_Well…_

Nathaniel's form sat up, with Bartimaeus in control. One of the djinni's thoughts drifted across his mind.

_I'll leave that to…_

"Kitty Jones!" it shouted out suddenly. Nathaniel clamped one hand to his mouth, forcing his lips shut.

"Mm-hm-mrmr-mm. Hmr-mr!" Bartimaeus tried to speak—without success.

_Fine, be that way, but lemme tell you, you're not gonna like this._

And with that, the djinni took Nathaniel's other hand, and repeatedly scratched Nathaniel's unmentionables. The hand clamped over his mouth immediately went to pry his other hand from that area furiously.

"Bartimaeus!" Nathaniel shouted unaware of his voice that was projecting loudly around the room.

"What?" the djinni snapped back, aloud.

"Nathaniel…" Kitty murmured in her sleep.

_All right buddy, I'm taking control now._

_No! Bart—_

"Hey, Kitty! Kitty! WAKE UP!!!" Bartimaeus shouted.

Kitty Jones' eyes snapped open, her head jerked up quickly.

"What's going on?" she said, her eyes frantically scanning the room. "Wha—" her eyes fell on Nathaniel, her mouth forming a silent 'o'.

The two eyes met. Dark, chocolate coloured eyes met the almond shaped ones, the colour of burnt sienna.

"Ahem _if _we could get on? You two are gonna make me puke y'know. Going ga-ga eyed all over each other."

"Bartimaeus…" Kitty said. Then she raised an eyebrow. "Nathaniel, why are you grinning?"

"I—I'm—I'm not! It's B—Bart—"

Bartimaeus cut him off. "Lost for words? My, my, Nathaniel. You have _never _been lost for words!"

"Shut up!"

_I would give you a rude gesture if you weren't _in _me! _Nathaniel had reverted back to the thoughts method. It was easier, as one could hardly talk with oneself.

_Well of course. Ha, try giving yourself the finger, doesn't work, does it?_

Nathaniel cursed silently.

"It's that…that _thing _inside me! Bartimaeus! _You _were grinning!"

"Hey, watch it Natty boy. It's not a crime. Anyways, could you at least do me a favor and dismiss me now? I'm so bored of this place…at least, in your body, anyways. Feels like being dunked into bowl of custard."

"What, sweet flavoured?" Nathaniel smirked.

Bartimaeus rolled the boy's eyes. "No…_thick._" That wiped the smirk off Nathaniel's face. "Of course, you'll probably collapse after you dismiss me for a few, since you ain't got that big strength of mine to hold you up have you?"

"I'd be more than happy to dismiss you, cursed…little…" Nathaniel trailed off. He muttered the words to the Dismissal, without looking at Kitty, who, he could tell, was staring at him with big eyes.

He finished the Dismissal, but before Bartimaeus went, the djinni quickly slipped a hurried word in edgeways.

"Kitty, summn meh afte…"

Nathaniel frowned. "Huh? Why do you want to be summoned after? What's going on? What—" but the djinni was gone, and soon after that, before he could finish his questions, Nathaniel too, had slumped back against his pillows, deep in his sleep.

**A/N: Well! That was a longer chapter than usual. I have to get used to describing more stuff, I tend to hurry whilst writing—scared of you know, forgetting all the main points or whatever.**

**Anyways, the plot thickens. Not really…this story on a scale of one to ten, one being just started, ten being finished is on about 6. There will be less chapters, but each chapter will be longer now that I've finally controlled my rush of speeded writing.**

**I stole a few quotes and things from Ptolemy's Gate, so don't sue me, but it's just to make this writing seem more like Stroud's.**

**Finally, at the risk of sounding clichéd, please review ;)**


	11. Chapter 9: Ptolemy's Teachings

**A/N: Gee. I'm like in a writing spree right now! This part is quite…sentimental. Mostly dealing with Kitty's emotions. Named Ptolemy's Teachings because Bartimaeus sounded so much like Ptolemy (allegedly, or what I'd call Ptolemy at any rate). And I always thought Ptolemy to be like, this wise person who knows all the stuff, albeit the young age. Read on to find out.**

**Kitty**

**Chapter 9: Ptolemy's Teachings**

Kitty had watched as Bartimaeus had disappeared out of Nathaniel's form, and as the form of Nathaniel had slumped back onto the pillows of his bed, deep in his sleep.

Summon him? Why would that djinni want to be summoned? Nevertheless, Kitty rubbed out the pentacle around Nathaniel's bed, swiftly drawing two new regular pentacles.

As she drew them, Kitty noticed that Nathaniel's scratches and bruises had disappeared when she woke up from her little nap. _It must've worked, _she thought silently, allowing herself a little smile.

Finally, she finished and so started the incantation. Bartimaeus appeared in the opposite pentacle, taking the form of again, his favourite Egyptian boy, Ptolemaeus. Or known as Ptolemy. He was grinning his trademark evil-djinni-Bartimaeus grin.

"Well?" Kitty said impatiently but curiously. "What is it? It's the first time you actually _wanted _to be summoned. Must be important. ButI haven't got all day you know, I have to take care of…of…nevermind." She trailed off.

Barty's grin got even wider, showing his teeth, or rather Ptolemy's, which were strikingly white against his dark skin.

"Well…that is what I'm here for. To talk about him," he jerked his head towards the sleeping form on the bed. "I thought he'd be a rotting cadaver by now. But thanks to my strength, brains, nobility, and—"

"Oh for Ptolemy's sake, Bartimaeus. If you came here to gloat about your accomplishments, I haven't got the time."

Bartimaeus looked slightly hurt but seemed to ignore it. "No. I haven't come here to gloat about _my _accomplishments. Not about my strength, brains, _or_ my nobility, but rather about _your love._"

Kitty froze in mid-roll (she was rolling her eyes). She lowered her gaze slowly.

"M—my _love?_" she repeated innocently.

"Don't bother denying it, Kitty," replied the djinni. "It's written all over your face, you _love _Nathaniel a lot. Even though I can't see what's so good about him. But that's not the point. The point is that you _are_. You gotta accept it. There's no other way. Face it—you _adore _him. You hated the John Mandrake. The corrupted, evil version of Nat. But you love the real Nathaniel, the little boy who first summoned his djinni Bartimaeus at the age of twelve. Ambitious he was, yes, but not evil."

Bartimaeus eyed Kitty seriously. Kitty just stood still, staring at the floor, not meeting the djinni's eyes.

"This new guy, he's half John half Nat. He's confused Kitty. He doesn't know what's right what's wrong now. Few magicians have a conscience, I told him long ago to hold onto it. But it's slipping away…fast. It keeps on reappearing time to time but is hardly there. He needs a spur, a spur of pure goodness to push him to the right side. You are that spur Kitty. When he dismissed me before the whole building shattered, he had that aura of virtuous in him. Then Nouda was upon us and I went. You've probably figured out what happened whilst we were in there anyways."

Kitty looked up. She had tears in her eyes. Why, Bartimaeus was being…being…emotional!

"Forgive him for his deeds before. What he did. I'm sure if you give him that urge in the right direction, he'll truly find that place where he belongs. With you, in here."

Bartimaeus pointed to his heart. The speech was so different to the witty, sarcastic Bartimaeus, Kitty knew, that she almost thought that this was the wise Ptolemy talking, the one who had died at such a young age, and whose form Bartimaeus was always taking. His guides of wisdom to Bartimaeus were legendary, or so the djinni always said.

Finally, she smiled—a genuine smile. In which Bartimaeus smiled back. And to his surprise, Kitty stepped out of the pentacle, and hugged Bartimaeus briefly but tightly. When they drew apart, Bartimaeus's smile had widened by a few molars.

"Forgive him, and tell him how you feel."

"Bartimaeus," Kitty replied, shaking her head, grinning softly. "I forgave him a long time ago, I just need the courage to tell him how I really feel."

"I'll be waiting outside if you need me." The djinni walked out towards the door.

"And Bartimaeus?"

He turned around, an eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"Thanks. For everything."

This time, the reply was a friendly smirk, accompanied with a step outside the room; and a clicking sound as the door shut, leaving Kitty in the same room with Nathaniel, ready to face the truth.

**A/N: Sob, sob. Isn't it touching? Sorry, I'm not really good at writing soppy sad stuff. But I try…I try. Review please…gives cyber cookie before hand**

_**And that hug at the end was for XxBlackChaosxX for her constant support, adding me to her Favourite Author list and all, with her help to beta my first 2 chappies! She requested the hug a while ago!**_

_**If any of you guys wanna request a small thing like that that doesn't change the plot, note me or put it in a review!**_


	12. Chapter 10: Truth Be Told

**A/N: Confessions comin' up! And I got a lil' surprise for you guys at the end!**

**Kitty**

**Chapter 10: Truth Be Told**

She was alone in the room. With Nathaniel—the magician with whom she had tried to refuse her own feelings towards. Ever since she had met him in that street with her two colleagues, Kitty had felt something towards him. That was why she had let him go. But never had she thought she would have met him again, under different circumstances. It was difficult, Kitty had to admit, to accept her own feelings. She had always thought she would die alone, not old, but that she would have died trying to save someone; in an accident; or killed by a spirit. Never had she before thought about the fact that if she indeed were to fall in love with someone, or to get married to said someone, whom that someone would be.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Nathaniel stirred quietly. He began to move, and his eyelids fluttured. His hair now was longer than that cropped hairstyle he used to wear. It wasn't as long as during the Golem Incident, but wasn't as short as when he was supporting the military either. It was more like the style he wore the first time they met. Why was it that he kept on looking and acting more and more like that little boy, Nathaniel, before the other magicians corrupted him? Why was it that his ruthless personality before, was even more visible now when it shown? Why was it that Kitty had never noticed how different the two were—the wicked John Mandrake, and the ambitious apprentice, Nathaniel? Bartimaeus was right, she had to rid the poor Nathaniel of the evil John Mandrake, the heartless politician who didn't care about anyone else.

Nathaniel began to lift his head up. His eyes were slightly crossed, and he had a puzzled look on his face. Kitty strode over to the side of his bed, and helped him prop himself up on his elbows. He shook his head slightly—then his eyes fell on Kitty.

"Oh…erm…I…" the magician struggled to get the words out.

"Here's what I suggest," Kitty spoke swiftly, as if from practicing. "You go and have a refreshing shower, whilst I go and order someone to get you your breakfast."

Nathaniel blinked confusedly a couple of times. "Erm…okay," he said as he got out of bed and shuffled over to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Kitty let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. _What had happened back there? I was speaking, devoid of any emotion! Oh well, perhaps I'd better go get his breakfast._

She opened the door to find Bartimaeus in the form of Ptolemy. Instead of wearing a loincloth, he was wearing a normal t-shirt with a jacket, and some normal jeans. Kitty had to shake her head a few times to really get the picture inside her head—an Egyptian boy, wearing a Londoner's clothes. In his arms were a bundle of neatly folded clothes. Bartimaeus smiled mischievously and said to her, "Don't worry, I've got it all sorted out, I'll take care of the food and everything else, whilst you, ma'am, just go inside and prepare yourself for the big confession." And with that, he thrust the pile of clothes into her hands that he'd been holding, and strutted down the hosiptal corridor.

Still slightly confused, Kitty walked back into the hospital room, and taking the newspaper off the stool, placed the clothes onto the small seat. She walked around to the window on the other side of the room, holding the newspaper. The snow was still falling softly. Kitty started to read the paper she had not had a chance to read. Ms. Piper had brought it to her, asking about 'Mr. Mandrake's condition'. Kitty had kept silent, and so Ms. Piper had handed her the newspaper, saying it was to 'keep her mind off things', and had disappeared again.

Kitty looked down at the _London Times _and realised that Ms. Piper herself hadn't looked at the headlines at all, because instead of it keeping her mind off the current problems, it had just reinforced them.

………………………………………………………………………………………

_**Magician Minister Mandrake, Found At Last!**_

_John Mandrake, Information Minister was found last night in the ruins of the Great Glass Palace, St James's Park. The magician was immediately sent off to the notable _London Hospital_ where he is known to be recovering from his various injuries. No doctor who has treated Mr. Mandrake has been spoken to yet, but rumors are circulating that the minister is undergoing severe treatments. Ms. Piper, Mr. Mandrake's assistant, was unavailable for comment, although there are whispers from the two escorts of Ms. Kitty Jones, former member of the Resistance, that she had entered the hospital tearfully, having had personal feelings for Mr. Mandrake…_

………………………………………………………………………………………

Kitty scowled, blushing a deep shade of crimson as she heard the door to the bathroom open. She started to turn around, but quickly whipped back, facing the window again. Nathaniel had exited from the bathroom. There was a towel wrapped around his waist, and one around his bare shoulders, his hair wet from the shower, clinging onto parts of his face.

"Er…yurclthsareondistul," she said in a rush.

"Pardon?"

"Y—your clothes are on the stool."

"Oh…er…okay," he replied hesitantly. Kitty heard the sound of feet, then the door closing again. Sighing loudly, she turned around again, placing the newspaper she had been reading back onto the stool. She went to sit on the small plushed chair she had spent the night on, frowning.

The door to the bathroom opened once more, and Nathaniel stepped out, dressed in a black suit, but with no tie, leaving his collar open. Kitty had to say this was far more satisfactory than his tight pants and bright coloured handerchiefs he had fancied a few years previously. His hair was still damp, but didn't stick to his face like before.

A silence issued, the two staring into each the other's eyes. Finally, Kitty looked away.

"Thanks for the clothes, although I have to say, they're a bit loose."

"Don't thank me, thank Bar—thank the nurse," Kitty replied hoarsely. She risked a look up. Why was it that she had to melt everytime she met those eyes? Everytime she saw those dark, chocolate coloure orbs? They were full of emotion: happiness; ruthlessness at times; sorrow; and could it be…regret?

She looked down again, not daring to meet them.

"I have to ask Kitty, about w—what happened earlier on. About you summoning Bartimaeus into me. I understand how it worked, Bartimaeus shared his strength with me, but I need to know, did you summon him whole-heartedly? Or did you just do it because of your natural kindness? And Bartimaeus…did he do it whole-heartedly too? Or was there some sort of…deal involved?"

Kitty didn't reply.

"Kitty," he said, and to Kitty's eternal surprise, took her hands in his and lowered himself to her eye level. But Kitty still didn't meet his stare; she just shifted her gaze to stare at the floor on her right.

"I…I've realised something…something about the fact of what I've become. I've become an evil, corrupted, ruthless magician. I've become a minister and magician who only wants power, wealth, and fame. A person who treats others with disdain, not the respect they deserve."

Kitty finally raised her gaze to meet his. It was full of regret, of truth, of…could it be…love?

"I don't want to be that anymore, I want to return to be the normal, ambitious boy, Nathaniel. A magician yes, but a magician who treats his so-called servants with the same respect they deserve, not as inferiors. And you helped me realise that. With your kindness, and love, and carefree help. You've helped me realise of the true path I wish to lead in this life. A life alongside you."

Kitty's eyes widened in shock and surprise.

"Kitty, forgive me?" he asked, staring intently at her with that melting gaze of his. Slowly, she smiled, then her smile widened by a few molars as she threw her arms around his neck.

_"Nathaniel…_" she whispered, smiling through her tears of happiness.

"I take that as a yes? You've forgiven me?"

"…I already have…long before…once upon a time…"

And with that, they drew apart; stood up; smiled at each other for what seemed like all eternity; then finally, at last, kissed each other fully…on the lips.

**A/N: Finally! The snog we've all been waiting for! Well, at least _I've _been waiting for it…teehee. This chapter was longer than I thought it would be. Had to cut it short. Next up is your cheeky djinni, Barty!**


	13. Chapter 11: Eavesdropping

**A/N: I couldn't think of another title for this chapter, so this one's not that apt, but who cares. This chappie's dedicated to Sylla, for her constant reviews!**

**Bartimaeus**

**Chapter 11: Eavesdropping**

I grinned my evil grin. It was all coming together. After Natty boy had woken up and Kitty had told him to go and take a shower, I whisked off quickly to go and get some clothes for him. Luckily, the store room was just down the corridor, so I just opened it, picked up the first thing I saw, and transformed myself into Ptolemy wearing something other than a loincloth.

Who knows what I could have picked up? I could've picked a set of weird clothes…like a nurse's uniform or something for Nat to wear. But lucky him, it turns out I picked up a suit. Anyways, before I was back here, staring at the couple making out, I had hurried off somewhere else after handing Kitty the clothes when she came out to get them.

………………………………………………………………………………………

Transforming myself into a fly, I had buzzed out of the building and into an alley. There I changed back into Ptolemy's form (1). Walking out of the dark and dingy street, I stopped by at the first foodstore I saw. It was a bakery, with bread, muffins, sausage rolls, the aroma wafting through the air. Smelt good. So casually, I picked the pocket of some random passerby (2), taking out a wad of cash. Seemed enough.

I went up to the woman up front, who was wearing a badge that read _Maria. _She was dressed in a beige uniform, with a white apron, and plastic gloves which were oily from picking up all that food.

"Hello there, young man. What would you like today?" she asked sweetly.

I just glowered at her (3). "Five sausage rolls; three chocolate muffins; and two chocolate chip cookies. Wait, make that three," I ordered, speaking very fast.

"P—pardon?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, if you wanna talk Cro-magnon, lady. Five," I held up 5 fingers, talking slowly and clearly, "sausage rolls, two," I held up two fingers…well, you get the picture.

"Yes…oh…right," she stuttered and began to get the stuff I ordered, putting it into a brown paper bag.

I paid my money without saying another word, just more intimidating stares and all, and then left again for the hospital.

I couldn't transform myself into a fly whilst carrying the paper bag, so I just walked into the hospital.

There was a woman sitting at the front desk in the waiting room, who looked like a pig in pink clothes with blonde curls. She looked up when I came in, and said to me in a high-pitched voice (4), "Sorry, no children allowed. This is a high-class hospital, young man."

Why was it that _everyone _kept on calling me 'young man'? Perhaps I should've changed my form into something different. Or perhaps I could've just swallowed that pig whole (5). Instead, I just replied casually, "I am John Mandrake's apprentice."

The woman must've been really stupid, not knowing that Nat didn't even _have _an apprentice, for she at that instant, started to shrink, ego-wise.

"O—of course, he's in the VIP room, just down the corridor there," she pointed to the side of the waiting room. "Room—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I replied irritably and just strutted down the hallway towards Nat's room.

………………………………………………………………………………………

And that's how I ended up here, holding the paper bag, watching the two lovebirds eat face. There was only on problem: Kitty had still aged a lot since her visit to the Other Place. But I put that matter to the back of my mind. The two had found each other at last, and now, they were drawing apart and talking in quiet voices. I could only see Nathaniel's face, since Kitty was facing away from me. His face went from happiness; to surprise; to smiling weakly; to an expression of gratefulness; then to pure joy. I allowed myself a small smile, then shook my head of the happy thoughts. Hey, I might've been the protagonist or whatever, but still, I am evil (6). Don't you forget that.

So I opened the door, and entered (7).

………………………………………………………………………………………

(1) _With the clothes on of course, not a plain loincloth. Duh._

(2) _It was a fat, snobbish-looking lady. I daresay she was filthy rich, looking at the rings on her stubby little fingesr, with her nose held high in the air. I mean, come on, I'm not going to pick the pocket of some random poor guy am I? Barty isn't gonna stooping _that_ low._

(3) Young man?_ Excuse me miss; I am a djinni of the fourth level. You ask what I would like today? I would love to just gobble you up. That okay with you? Hm?_

(4) _I had to restrain myself from putting my hands over my ears. Seriously, it was shrilly like a…banshee's or something. I met a group of those whilst in Ireland during the Leprechaun Siege a few centuries ago._

(5) _Pity I don't eat junk food, and that woman was bound to raise my blood pressure—figuratively of course. But really, look how much fat she must've stored!_

(6) _What did you think? I was gonna turn into those good lil' characters in those crappy, cheap romance novels? Puh-lease. No way, I am Bartimaeus! I am Sakhr al-Jinni! N'gorso the Mighty and Serpent of Silver Plumes! I have rebuilt the walls of Uruk, Karnak, and Prague. I have spoken with—okay, you've heard all of that before, I know. But hey, I got something to be proud of right? Fine, I'll get back to the story. Didn't know you were _that_ keen…I must be a good story teller…yes, yes, I know, I'm egocentric, now shut up, do you want to listen or not?_

(7) _Ha! I cut the story short for now see! This is for you interrupting me. No more stories for a while. But I'm telling you, the next part would've been fun…would've been bound to cause a few laughs, if I didn't have to hand it over to Nathaniel to tell—that scrawny little boy who doesn't know his superiors, pft. Anyways, you're gonna have to wait for a while until it's my turn to tell the story again._

**A/N: As Barty told you guys, next is gonna be Nathaniel's P.O.V. I haven't written it in his for quite a while. You'll see this fan fic mostly evolves around Barty and Kitty's P.O.V. Since half of the time, Nat is unconcious, excluding the dream part. Some quotes here taken from The Amulet of Samarkand (Book 1)—to make it more like Stroud's writing ;) (coughI-love-my-reviewerscough)**


	14. Chapter 12: What Next?

**A/N: This chapter's dedicated to Mostodtroll for the reviews!**

**Sorry for the LONG wait. I know I've been gone ages, it's just that I went away to the beach for like a week, and then I forgot to bring my plans on this fan fic, so I couldn't write the next chappie. :(**

**Anyways…just a bit more romance and all…then it's the conclusion and cleaning up of all the mess Stroud left. After that's a bit of action before this fan fic ends ;)**

**Nathaniel**

**Chapter 12: What Next?**

Nathaniel couldn't remember when he last felt this happy. He had confessed his love to Kitty Jones, finally realising how he felt about her. Kitty was talking to him now, smiling slightly herself.

"Nathaniel. It was…it was Bartimaeus who made me realise all my feelings foryou. And he was the one who made me do what I did. You should thank him you know…he brought me out of the dark and showed me the path my emotions led…the path that led to you." Kitty had said all this very quietly as Nathaniel's expression went from surprise to smiling sheepishly.

"And you know, Bartimaeus did all this whole-heartedly, even if he doesn't show it. He's a good djinni, one of the best you can find. He's not as corrupted as all the rest." Nathaniel's face then turned into one of gratefulness as he recalled Nouda and all the other entities and spirits.

"Nathaniel…you _know _I love you right?"

His only answer was to just beam, pure joy erupting in his chest. He would have said something if he weren't so tongue-tied, whilst Kitty's reply to that was to throw her arms around his neck, just as the door to the room opened and Bartimaeus walked in, wearing Ptolemy's form. Kitty let go of Nathaniel's neck to turn around to look at who had intruded upon their romantic moments.

"Gee, you won't _believe _that they don't have some decent food here. I had to go all the way out of the hospital and back to get some good stuff…" Bartimaeus trailed off as he looked up and the couple both smiled shyly. "Oh. _So _sorry to walk in on you two love birds like this. Please, carry on. Actually, don't. Spare me the lovey-dovey eyes and all," the djinni replied, grinning mischievously to Nathaniel's roll of eyes.

"Didn't they want to know who you were?" Nathaniel asked.

"Ah, that fat pig of a lady asked me. She was all '_no children allowed young man!'" _Bartimaeus put on a high-pitched voice. "So I said I was your apprentice. Ew. Sooooo stupid she was. Didn't even know you didn't _have _an apprentice!" said Bartimaeus, throwing up his hands in mock frustration.

"Ew yourself! I wouldn't want _you_ as an apprentice!"

"Like as if anyone would want to be," scoffed the djinni. "If I were, I wouldn't blame myself for killing my master, just like how _you _didn't even feel a hint of guilt."

Nathaniel froze. A mere indirect mention of the Underwoods brought a chill feeling to his bones. Of course, he hadn't meant to do it on purpose, but the guilt of killing one of his favourite people in this cruel world, one of the only people who actually cared for him, brought guilt to his mind. He was overwhelmed by the sadness that hit him. Nathaniel collapsed onto the sofa chair, putting his heads in his hands.

"Bartimaeus! Why did you have to do that? You know how sensitive that subject is to him!" he heard Kitty scold.

"Sorry…didn't realise. Sorta slipped…" and Bartimaeus really _did _sound sorry—not that he was going to forgive him for disturbing the happy moment he and Kitty were just sharing; and for bringing up the subject thought to have been long gotten over.

"I…I just regret it…" Nathaniel whispered, his voice shaking, raising his head up.

Kitty threw Bartimaeus a dirty look before bending over to kiss the magician softly on the cheek.

"Regret treating me with disdain?" Bartimaeus asked jokingly, trying to soften the tense feeling in the room. It worked.

"A bit, but not enough to make me cry over it."

Bartimaeus rolled his eyes. "Well Nat, tell Kitty about your little _dream _yet?" The djinni grinned evilly, knowing he had hit the jackpot. Nathaniel's eyes widened as it hit him to what Bartimaeus had seen.

"What dream? Nathaniel? What dream?" Kitty looked puzzled, glancing between the two others. "Nathaniel?" she asked suspiciously.

Nathaniel saw no way out. He would have to tell Kitty, or Bartimaeus would be able to use it to blackmail him anyways. And plus, what did he have to fear? The dream was just that Kitty had saved him…it had no links to real life anyways. But deep down, he knew that it did have links to him in real life. During the Golem Incident when Kitty had saved him.

"Too shy Nat?" Bartimaeus asked. "Fine, I'll tell Ms. Jones myself, then." The djinni turned to Kitty. "Well, Kitty…I er…_intruded _into Nathaniel's dream whilst he was sleeping you see…and it seems as though he saw you as his…well, _savior_—"

"It wasn't savior!" Nathaniel interrupted hotly. "I just dreamt that she died saving me!" He blushed scarlet as he realised as to what he had just blurted out.

"Well, yes. And he dreamt that you saved him from a pack of raging djinn, that you gave all your strength to him, so you died. And get this: Nat said in his dream that he was sorry for all the evil deeds he had commited, for all the harm he's caused you—"

"Bartimaeus, enough!" Nathaniel interrupted—to no avail, his hands itching to put them around the djinni's neck. Not that it would work.

"—and he also said that he loved you too!" completed Bartimaeus quickly before Nathaniel could silence him.

Nathaniel was white in the face, grinding his teeth whilst Bartimaeus smirked. _That evil djinni… _Nathaniel thought. _Why, he thinks he can just pry into my mind, thoughts, and emotions now, does he? I'll show him…Bartimaeus…_

Kitty remained silent for a while, then her face split into a wide smile. "Oh, _Nathaniel._ Did you really say and dream those things?" she asked, eyes shining. Nathaniel's mouth fell open. He glanced quickly at Bartimaeus, who again, was smirking. Nathaniel shuffled his feet a little and murmured, "yes", all thoughts of strangling the djinni forgotten. Kitty seemed to want to squeal, but to Nathaniel's gratefulness, was able to suppress it. He could not stand another one of Bartimaeus's taunts. Instead, he turned to the djinni.

"Bartimaeus? Do you want to be dismissed?" he asked quietly.

Kitty stopped suppressing her non-existence squeals. She seemed to look confused, again looking between the two of them.

But to everyone's surprise, Bartimaeus smiled, revealing Ptolemy's dazzling teeth, shining bright white against his tanned, dark, skin.

"Dismissed? No way. I want to watch how this all ends."

**A/N: I know it sorta sucks, this chapter. It's just that I have to get used to writing again, after my long break…(smiles sheepishly)**

**And I also changed re-read my fan fic and altered some stuff, filling in plot holes I found, it's not compulsory to read it all over again, but it's good if you do anyways coz future chapters might slightly not make sense. Anyways, the stuff you have to re-read is only like, 11 short chappies, so that's not a big deal right? Up to you guys ;)**


	15. Chapter 13: Miracles

**A/N: Thanks HollyGirl26 for all the reviews! 5 reviews, wow! This short Barty POV chappie dedicated to you!**

**Bartimaeus**

**Chapter 13: Miracles**

It was true. For once, I didn't exactly want to be dismissed yet. I wanted to see how it all ended. How everything fell into place…and what Nathaniel was going to do after this. Carry on as a magician? Or commoner? I had hoped Kitty would bring out his good side. Heaven knows we need a good magician…even if it is near impossible. Dr. Ildenheilth (1) came in, looking all flustered at first to see if Nat was still alive or not. Obviously he thought not. He squealed like a baby piglet when he entered the room and saw the young magician in bed, tucked in (2), whilst Kitty talked to him, holding his hand and all, after she had cleaned up the chalk lines of course, all trace of evidence of my summonings gone. I was just pretending to be one of Nat's servants—to my eternal shame. He wouldn't let me be a blob or a puff of smoke, for he found it easier to converse with me this way. Annoying, conceited git. Anyways, Dr. Ildenheilth was checking Nat's pulse and health, running tests on him now, his eyes practically bulging with excitement.

"Well! Everything seems to be in order!" he exclaimed giddily. "I really don't know how you did it Kitty," (3) "how you managed to restore his health in only a few hours! His pulse is regular, his lungs seemed to have cleared up of all that dust…" Of course he had you stupid potato. Nathaniel had coughed up all that dust when he was taking a shower. He had said that there was a tonne of that stuff down his throat. Thought he was gonna puke but all of this ash came out. The doctor smiled happily. "Really, it's nothing short of a miracle!"

It was the couple's turn to grin at each other.

"Yes…it is a miracle," Nathaniel spoke quietly, more to Kitty than to the doctor. And I'm not really sure whether he was talking about his recovery, or his finding Kitty at last.

………………………………………………………………………………………

(1) _Strange name. He looked sort of like Mr. Underwood. Best not to mention that to Nat, Kitty'll kill me for sure._

(2)_ Kitty forced him to. Said he'd only just recovered._

(3) _First name terms? Ah well, that fiery commoner never liked formality anyways._

**A/N: Just a short Barty POV, Natty up next. I do them in separate chapters, so the POVs aren't mixed up ;)**

**I know it's been a while with my updates, slow and all, but I've got tests coming up so I don't have much time to write. Plus, I've got fan art to draw and colour too, entering contests and all :D**


	16. Chapter 14: Trafalgar Square

**A/N: Ah, next up, Natty boy. Here's just a chapter with all the basic changes. Like what happened on the governmenting system and all. Just a bit like extra notes, building up the tension to the real thing.**

**Dedicated to oh-so-cupcake, my number one fans for my general fan fics! (Not that the rest of you guys aren't it's just that she reads like, ALL my fan fics).**

**Nathaniel**

**Chapter 14: Trafalgar Square**

"You are soooooo vain."

"Hey, I mentioned you in it too."

"Yeah, but now everyone practically worships you!"

"Shut up, Bartimaeus."

A week later, and Bartimaeus was still on Earth, and as usual, the djinni was arguing with Nathaniel. Nathaniel had told people that this djinni was just one which was protecting him for a while. After this, no other questions were raised. The only bad side of it was: Nathaniel had to always be polite to Bartimaeus, to set a model of 'treating them with the respect they deserved'. Something Nathaniel was finding extremely difficult to do.

"Mr. Mandrake?" Ms. Piper poked her head into Nat's office. "We're ready for you."

"Right in a moment, let me just get these files sorted out." Once that was done, Nathaniel walked down to the limousine awaiting him, whilst Bartimaeus trailed behind in Ptolemy's form as usual, with the human clothes he wore earlier on, not the loincloth.

"I have to say Mr. Mandrake," Ms. Piper _piped _up, "your plan has been taken into action. We will tell the world the truth of how to treat your spirits and summoned entities, preventing further events like that of…well…you know what I mean." Ms. Piper began to fluster every time the subject came up of the recent events. It had taken a long time to clean up all the mess and sort out who was to govern whom, and who was going to replace the killed ministers et cetera. "So, we will sell Ptolemaeus's _Apocrypha,_ teaching the right ways of treating spirits, and we will tell the world the truth of how, by following Ptolemaeus's teachings, you saved London. And possibly the whole world!"

Nathanial blushed. He had planned to stay a magician, but not to gain power, but to teach the other magicians how to actually treat the spirits, to give them respect, not just the usual disdain that the entities constantly received. But now, everyone was regarding him like a hero. _Oh well, _Nathaniel thought. _If I'm popular, people will tend to follow my teachings more. Then they'll start to believe on the right doings. _Furthermore, Nathaniel had even made it more compulsory for every magician to read Ptolemy's _Apocrypha_, even if it was already read before, albeit in a different light. Today he was going to Trafalgar Square, to give a speech to the magicians and commoners, about the recent events and how he had managed to save London. Even if Nathaniel didn't want to do it, it was for the sake of everyone.

Reaching the limousine, Nathaniel got in, to find Kitty already seated, wearing regular clothes, not something fancy Jane Farrar would obviously have worn, if she weren't presumed dead (her body had never been found).

"Hi," she said to him, planting a little kiss on his cheek. "How do I look? Is it okay for the…ceremony?"

Bartimaeus coughed, then put on a high voice. "It's a treat for people to see you darling, after all, they have to pay to get into a freak show."

Nathaniel was horrorstruck, but Kitty just laughed good-naturedly and asked, "Have you seen the figure yet?"

"No…I can't believe they erected a statue of me in the middle of Trafalgar Square. I'm not Gladstone! I don't want like, eternal glory or anything…" Nathaniel replied. All the ministers and government members, even the commoners had supported this idea strongly, against his objections.

"Yeah, but you saved London Nathaniel! That's greater than all Gladstone ever did," Kitty reassured him.

Another voice spoke. "Duh. All Gladstone ever did was destroy Prague. Stupid git." No one had noticed the djinni entering the car, sitting opposite Nathaniel in the big space of the limousine. "Hey, why don't you tell them to take down his statue? You know the big one? The one near where Queezle died? Since you've got so much power nowadays." Bartimaeus said scathingly. He had stopped referring to Nathaniel as his real name, but he wouldn't call him Master either. So the djinni had just called him 'you'.

Nathaniel pressed a button in the car, and a pane of glass slid up to separate the driver and Ms. Piper (who was sitting in the front seat), from Nathaniel, Kitty, and Bartimaeus. Once the glass was in place, he snapped back. "Bartimaeus, do everyone a favour and shut up." His annoyance was wearing thin, even if both he and the djinni knew that they owed their lives to each other. The djinni gave him a rude gesture. Then it grinned as if an idea had come to fruition and turned to Kitty. "Hey, Kitty, have you heard? Nat abolished the law that magicians can't have children."

The magician turned a deep shade of scarlet. "It's just to stop parents selling their children again. It was tough you know, being seperated from my parents. I still remember it faintly…" he muttered.

"Yeah, and it's also so you can have children with Kitty," Bartimaeus retorted. "So you can have little baby Nats and carry on the torture of the poor djinni Bartimaeus."

Kitty stared at Nathaniel. "Really? You abolished the law?" she asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

Nathaniel nodded, wincing.

She grinned, not saying anything, and turned away to look out the window.

_Thank God she didn't ask me any strange questions, _Nathaniel thought silently. True, the reasons he said were partly why he had eradicated that particular law. But Bartimaeus's reasons also contributed largely to why he did that. He shook his head slightly. Have children with Kitty? He was hoping for too much.

………………………………………………………………………………………

The car turned a corner and arrived at Trafalgar Square. A flock of pigeons were flying past, blocking the things behind them from view. Then they disappeared, revealing everything.

Nathaniel's mouth dropped open.

The square was filled with people, everyone talking and chatting animatedly, the mood having changed so much since Rupert Deveraux was Prime Minister. Although a new P.M. hadn't been elected yet, rumours were circulating that Nathaniel would be the next one, though he had declined several offers already. Then the car drove around again, and a giant statue came into view.

A depiction of Nathaniel was standing there, his huge form holding Gladstone's Staff, the Amulet of Samarkand around his neck. His eyes were blank, his forehead furrowed, and his clothes looked singed and torn. Still, he gave off a strange aura of authority and power. Clearly, he was positioned during the riot, during the time when he and Bartimaeus had shared forms, during his time of saving London.

Bartimaeus scowled. "They made you too good looking! What happened to the weeny little guy, shaking and wetting his pants? I still remember the time when you first summoned me. '_I ch-ch-charge y-you to tell me your n-na-name'!_" the djinni said, in a high pitched voice.

But Nathaniel was too busy to argue. The limousine had stopped moving, and the doorof the limousine had been flung open. He took a deep breath, whilst Kitty urged him on silently. He stepped out of the car onto a red carpet leading away to a podium at the other end, as the crowd broke into applause. Nathaniel smiled weakly, holding out his hand to help Kitty exit the car. The clapping began to crescendo. Bartimaeus followed, glancing around wearily. Clearly, he had seen greater things than this.

Nathaniel and Kitty walked along the carpet, as camera flashes went on and off, reporters scattered around, photographers everywhere. Reaching the end of the carpet, Nathaniel stepped onto the podium, whilst Kitty took a seat. At once, everyone went quiet. The magician cleared his throat, ready to begin.

**A/N: There. The next chapter will be more…erm…relevant. Most of it will probably be Natty giving his speech I reckon. Not gonna be that long I think, just Nat's talk on the whole event. Then after that'll be a bit more action. There, Kitty will be restored to her full health again. Guess how I'm going to do that! Whoever guesses correctly will have that chappy dedicated to them!**


	17. Chapter 15: Circle of Rulers

**A/N: Mostly Nat's sppech people! I sorta rushed, I know, and could've stretched it. But I'm getting really busy nowadays, and I fear I might not be able to you know…complete the fan fic in time.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, they are REALLY appreciated!**

**Nathaniel**

**Chapter 15: The Circle of Rulers**

"Well…erm…" Nathaniel was sweating. He wasn't good at making speeches. Well, the John Mandrake part of him was, but that had been overuled by Nathaniel. _Don't sound so lame. Think of something else. Start with something. Why were you here in the first place? What happened at the Glass Palace? _He thought desperately.

"Well, I'm sure you've all seen some major changes in the way this country is governmented now since Rupert Deveraux," he began. "We've changed the customs, the usual habits and worse actions of ruthless magicians, into respectable nobles. Many ask, 'why haven't these changes taken place before?' The answer is simple: The Circle of Rulers." Nathaniel now seemed to get the hang of it as his speech started to flow.

"Before London ever even existed, great cities in other countries, such as Alexandria and Prague, were home to many magical entities. Trapped on Earth, they obviously would have hated magicians, ones who forced them to do their biddings. But then, out of the shadows, stepped Ptolemaeus. His love for a certain djinni never wavered. He believed in treating spirits differently. He believed they had rights. He believed that they should be treated with kindness and respect. And he was right. His _Apocrypha _has always been a neccessity to read. But none of us have ever taken it seriously. It is time we did.

We have all seen the fall of many great eras. They fell from the ignorance of the aristocrats, or the higher ranked. Then when the lower citizens had finally brought the rulers down, another power-hungry, ex-peasant being came up, and took the throne as ruler once more. This Circle has been repeating itself over and over again. Why don't we ever learn? Why don't we ever remember the past, acknowledging our mistakes? Empires have fallen because of our ignorance. We are so oblivious to the fact that the world does not evolve only around us, but to everyone else as well." Nathaniel paused, his eyes sweeping around over the seats. People were sitting, some with their mouths slightly open. The photographers had forgotten about their cameras. The journalists' pens and notebooks hung limply in their hands, all notetaking forgotten.

"I know many of you ask about what happened at the Glass Palace, during the previous events. The simple answer is: everything. I, myself, finally realised our mistakes, and the importance of them all. Using Ptolemaeus's _Apocrypha,_ my…colleague," Nathaniel blushed. "…Kathleen Jones had been able to travel through to the Other Place, to seek help from a certain djinni, who, coincidentally, was the one who had shared a friendship with Ptolemaeus himself. Afterwards, I took the essence of the djinni into my own body, combining them just like Quentin Makepeace had done. But instead of taking control over my body, the djinni helped me control Gladstone's Staff, and with its help, I managed to subdue, and finally destroy the entity Nouda.

Surprisingly, I survived and lived to tell the tale. Both times, with the help of this certain djinni. And both of us also luckily escaped, and I have finally, realised the importance of our mistakes. We have relied on them for so long without realising it. But we have created hatred so unbearable, it is a danger for ourselves as well. So in answer to the question, 'how did I save the whole of London?' quoting from many. Well, I acknowledged. Instead of ignoring, I accepted the truth for what it was.

So please, everyone. Remember what I have said, and remember, _we made the spirits what they are today_. It is our fault. Our blame. It is time that we take the step towards righteousness, the step towards virtuousness, the step towards the correct path to lead—the path where magicians, commoners, and entities are treated equally. This is the path I wish to take. It is up to you whether you will choose this path as well. Thank you."

Nathaniel stepped off the podium and sat down on a seat next to Kitty, who was staring at him with admiration in her eyes. He smiled back, and then glanced around him. Everyone was silent. Even Bartimaeus was sitting silently, his eyebrows slightly raised and his mouth slightly agape. It took a while before everyone had comprehended what he had just said.

"Let's go," Nathaniel whispered to Kitty. He wanted to get back to his office and get to work, not sit here with a bunch of people staring at him silently. Kitty nodded and stood up. Nathaniel turned to look at Bartimaeus and raised an eyebrow at him, as a gesture of 'do you want to go?' The djinni seemed to have woken up from its trance, and standing up, followed Nathaniel along the red carpet, and back to the limo, whose door was still ajar.

"Back," Nathaniel instructed the driver who was sitting inside simply. Clearly, the limo driver hadn't heard a word Nathaniel had said, but it didn't matter to him. The less people knew, the less they'd talk and goggle at him. Then he would be left at peace with Kitty. Had he actually stayed to wait, and had the windows and doors of the limo not been soundproof, the young magician would have heard the loud clapping issuing a half a minute later, the applause that was said to have echoed throughout London.

And had he actually visited the statue of himself, he would have seen the plague beneath it, inscripting the following words:

_John Mandrake_

_With Gladstone's Staff and the Amulet of Samarkand at St. James' Glass Palace_

_During the riot in London, 2002, whilst his body was combined with another unknown entity_

**A/N: I could've very easily slipped the speech at the end of the story, and it would've fit with everything else in my story, including the part where Kitty restores her health etc., but I could'nt be bothered to change the order and delete the chapter before, as many of you have already read it! It would've spoiled the fan fic.**

**Anyways, this version is okay too. Just I'd have to make the ending more…cliffy-ish.**


	18. Chapter 16: Discovery

**A/N: Nya! Gee, this chappie took me a long time. I guess it's coz I was checking for plot holes. I found so many. Damn. Anyways, it's dedicated to Destiny-Pedia, for his constant support! He said that I should publish this fan fic, if it weren't for all the copyrights and stuff…teehee…**

**Aw, yeah. If anyone finds any plot holes, PLEASE tell me! I have a feeling I missed something out…**

**Bartimaeus**

**Chapter 16: Discovery**

After the speech (1), we returned to the House of Parliament. Kitty went home to get changed and to call it a day. She was tired so easily these days, ever since she'd aged so much from her visit to the Other Place. Nathaniel promised to dismiss me straight away, after he had finished filling in some forms to do with the new ruling of the country (2). So when we arrived at his office, I began to browse the many shelves that lined the walls, containing many books of various colors and sizes. They were mostly all dusty, some quite new, like Nathaniel had read them just before. Many were battered nearly beyond repair, and some were streaked and stained with what looked horribly like blood. I continued to browse along the shelves, picking some up and flicking through them. A few had gruesome pictures that, even I, Bartimaeus, couldn't stand to look at them anymore.

Then one novel caught my eye. It was dustier than the rest and was a brown, burgundy color. Strange combination I should say. Carelessly, I pulled it out of the shelf, with quite some difficulty (3). Sitting down cross-legged on the floor, I stared at the front cover. It had no title, but had borders, lined with gold. The book was an old volume, and the writing was barely legible, but with my superior sight, I began to decipher the writings within, turning over the pages, which were surprisingly new, like it wasn't ancient, but no one had bothered to read it, so the book had become dusty. It was loaded with different incantations and spells, used for various methods of torture. I scowled in disgust. Good thing the pages and cover weren't tattered or anything, or I'd have suspected Nathaniel of reading this publication more than ten times (4). But just as I was about to close it and put it back on the shelf, something caught my eye. In cursive writing, it read:

_The Combining Jigsaw Spell_

_Used for compatibility purposes. Whether one's body does not matche one's soule or essence, or for fitting an object into another. It works like a jigsawe puzzle solver, fitting eache piece together, binding them and sewing the two to be combined as one. However, it can only be used for two pieces which_ _wille fit together. This spell functions well with special versions of the Indefinite Confinement Spell, ones that combine an essence into a body of another thing. It wille force one of the two things to expande or shrink, depending on the objects, and will cause them to fit each other._

There was more, which I quickly scanned. Below the description was the incantation and the equipment needed. Then there were some notes below it. The rest seemed alright, even if the title and name of the spell _was _a bit childish. I can't imagine how Parliament had allowed such a spell to be published. It was so…_childish. _I bet it could be used to help when the magicians summon spirits into their bodies like when Quentin Makepeace did. Wasn't that what the description meant when it said 'combine an essence into a body of a living thing'? Normally, we entities have to adjust our essences ourselves to match the size and everything with the magicians' bodies (5). The stupid gits could've just used this. But couldn't this spell also be used for something else? Like when it said 'jigsawe puzzle solver'. If one's soul wasn't straight in their body, could it have caused malfunctions and caused the person to look weak and old? My mind immediately went to one person: Kitty. Perhaps this spell could cure her of the illness she and Ptolemy had inherited after visiting the Other Place!

I quickly reread the incantation. It looked fairly simple, and I, understanding most of it with my sharp wit, knew that some parts had to be adjusted to fit Kitty's purposes. Just like the Summoning Spell had to be adjusted to go to the Other Place.

I stood up and ran over to Nathaniel.

"Nathaniel!" I shouted at him, reaching his desk where he was furrowing at a piece of paper.

"Quiet, Bartimaeus! Do you want the whole of London to know my real name?" he whispered furiously.

"Sorry," I replied hastily. "But you won't _believe_ what I just found out."

"What? You found out that you're an insolent djinni?"

"No," I hissed back at him (6). Was he _ever _going to listen to me?

"Then what? You found some Other Place porn magazine?" he teased, smirking.

"No! Would you just _listen to me??? _It's about _Kitty!"_ I shouted, losing my temper. I mean, really, it was _Kitty. _She reminded me so much of Ptolemy, I couldn't let another person like that just die before my very eyes (7).

Nathaniel stopped smirking at that instant. "What about her? Is she hurt? Who did it? If someone's laid a hand on her, I swear I'll—"

"No one's laid a hand on her. God. Don't need to get all overprotective about her, Nat," I muttered darkly, forgetting my purpose of coming to him at all.

"Well, tell me, what is so urgent then?"

I took a deep breath. "Nat. I think I've just found a way to restore Kitty to her youth."

………………………………………………………………………………………

_(1) Which I had to admit, was quite noble. I could even see a trace of Ptolemy in him now. Not that he'd ever _be _Ptolemy of course. Goodness no._

(2) _Look! They even _treated _him like the Prime Minister! I bet he is so gonna get elected for that spot._

(3) _The books were squeezed quite tightly into the bookcase._

(4) _But really, I shouldn't be surprised if Natty boy had read it tones of times. I mean, he's the expert in djinni torture, no?_

(5) _Nathaniel's was a tiny bit loose, but I've always been a skinny djinni. _

(6) _I was gonna say that I found out that he was an insolent git himself, but unfortunately, I already knew that. Long ago…_

(7) _Okay, not _die. _But like, be harmed or anything, with me just standing there, watching, not doing anything to stop it. Nope. That was _not _gonna happen again._

**A/N: (Sigh) I love doing Nat and Barty fight scenes. They're sooooo fun to write! Anyways, once I've cleaned up the mess Stroud left behind (I've cleaned up many already, believe me. Look, there's one of Natty dying. Now Kitty and her health thing. What next?), I gotta clean up the fact that magicians are still ruling the country, and the government is still bad. Wait and see how I clean **_**that **_**one up!**


	19. Chapter 17: The Other John Mandrake

**A/N: I dunno why, but explaining something new like this special spell thing is so confusing to me. I always have to make sure it flows. Ah well, Kitty up next, since she hasn't made an appearance for a while. She's probably going to be the POV for the next chapter anyways. Then after that, Natty boy. Anyways, happy reading!**

**This chappie's for all my faithful reviewers! Luv ya all!**

**Kitty**

**Chapter 17: The Other John Mandrake**

Kitty sighed. She really was tired. Ever since she had aged a decade or so since her visit to the Other Place, she had never really had any energy left. Well, her face was the same, albeit the wrinkles; and her raven hair now had strands of grey intermixed within.

After Nathaniel's speech, Kitty had taken a taxi back home. Her parents, again, weren't there, all the better for her. Last time Kitty had met them was when she had returned after Nathaniel's recovery, a couple of days ago. Her mother had cried at the sight of her daughter, who now looked oddly young and old. Her father just shook his head. _Oh well, _Kitty thought. It wasn't a big deal, even if she would've preferred to be young and full of energy again.

Just as she had started to climb the stairs up to her bedroom, there was a knock on the door. Kitty rolled her eyes. Whenever was she going to find peace? She walked back to the door and flung it open, about to shout out at whoever had barged upon her peace and quiet. She froze.

Nathaniel was standing there in a coat, shivering of the cold.

"Nathaniel? What are you doing here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nathaniel sighed. "Can we talk inside? I'm freezing."

"Oh, er, sorry," she said hastily, stepping aside for him to enter.

"Thanks," he said as she led him over to the living room with the horrible TV.

"So. What's the problem?" Kitty sat down, hugging her knees to her chest.

Nathaniel seemed to be having an internal fight. "Well, see…Bartimaeus found a way to…" how would he put it? There was no other way other than to tell her the truth. He took a deep breath. "A way to restore your youth."

Kitty sat stock still. _"What? _And you're telling me this _now?"_ she said incredulously. "How do you do it? I'm sick of being so lifeless and not being able to manage just a few things! Please, Nathaniel. I'd do anything to be my old self again," Kitty pleaded. But she could sort of tell there was a glitch. Nothing good ever came without a price. _Except Nathaniel of course, _she thought, smiling to herself.

"I understand. But see, this spell, the Combining Jigsaw Spell, was found in a book containing _tortures,_ used on djinn and other spirits. That's the problem. It actually compresses your body and essence, making them fit together properly. Like it fixes transcription errors. Well, theoretically it should. No one's ever been to the Other Place, except Ptolemy and you of course. So no one's ever needed this spell really. It was just mainly used for punishing spirits then. Even if the objects weren't in need for compressing or anything, it would still act as a torture machine."

"Oh…" Kitty spoke quietly. "Well, couldn't Ptolemy have used it? When he came back from the Other Place? I'm sure _he'd _have heard about it."

Nathaniel shrugged. "This spell was discovered only a century or two before, by none other than the first John Mandrake: he who had been executed for lying to Queen Elizabeth in the Tudor times of having successfully turned lead into gold.

"Well, why didn't we ever hear of it then? If it were in a book of torture and all, wouldn't other people have known about it? People who liked to torture entities?"

"Well…I did some research up on it, and it turns out that the book it was in was reprinted a few times, and in the latter versions, they took out the spell, said it was taking up too much space. That's probably why that John Mandrake wasn't famous or known for anything. Neither of the two previous John Mandrakes amounted to much. Perhaps they had discovered something, but that something wasn't of any use for the other magicians. He probably found out about it by accident anyways. Luckily, I had to old edition."

"Explains why Quentin Makepeace and the rest never heard of this spell. They could've used to when they summoned all those entities into their bodies. That John Mandrake probably used it for fitting random things anyways. Well," Kitty put her legs down from where she was still holding them, clapped her hands together, and stood up. "Are we going to do it? I don't care if it's painful, I just want to be able to walk up the stairs without panting and stopping for breath again."

Nathaniel knew that her determination could not be put down. "Fine. But some parts of the incantation will definitely need to be altered. They don't make that much sense. That other John Mandrake seems to have been quite an amateur, to tell you the truth."

"Let's get to work," Kitty said, taking a piece of chalk Nathaniel had handed to her and starting to draw a pentacle, following his instructions from an old book he seemed to have pulled out of thin air.

**A/N: Confusing? If you don't understand any of it, just submit a review with your question, and I'll reply. I always reply to reviews anyways.**

**After this of course, is Kitty, then Natty, then Barty (teehee…all ending in ty's). And Barty's is the end of the story.**

**I could've changed the order a bit. Put this ending part before Nathaniel's speech, but I couldn't be bothered really. Coz I'd have to change quite a lot of Chapter 15's writing. Oh well, don't listen to me babble. Sorry (blushes).**

**As always, please review XD**


	20. Chapter 18: Pain Beyond Imagination

**A/N: Dedicated to Emela, for her wonderful reviews! If you guys continue to support me like this, I'll dedicate more chappies to y'all!**

**Kitty**

**Chapter 18: Pain Beyond Imagination**

"Okay, big pentacle, check, small pentacle, check, runes, check, protection check, herbs, check…" the list went on as Nathaniel walked around, observing Kitty's work. There was a big pentacle: Kitty's. Opposite that one was a smaller, regular sized one: Nathaniel's. They had made her's larger, just incase something…happened.

Around Kitty's pentacle, herbs were placed in piles here and there. Then, different spices, such as rosemary and rowan, were spread around, surrounding her pentacle. A single rune was chalked onto the wooden floor, between the two pentacles. In it, sat a thick pile of the herbs, all mixed together. The candles were lit, and with the pale winter sunlight of dawn shining through the window, the room had a strange, eerie glow to it. Everything was illuminating quietly in the silence.

"Not bad," the boy commented, eyes twinkling. "It would do the country well if you were a magician Kitty. With bravery such as yours, nobility, true spirit—"

"Oh, shut up," Kitty snapped, although half-heartedly. She was smiling herself. Her work was done, just as Nathaniel had instructed. Now she stepped over everything else around the large pentacle, careful not to smudge the lines or touch the herbs. She braced herself for the newly found spell.

Nathaniel himself entered into his smaller pentacle, directly opposite her, only a foot apart.

"It's strange isn't it? Normally, we have one blank pentacle for the summoned spirit to appear, but now, we are using two pentacles, with nothing really to do with calling entities. A bit like Ptolemy's Gate really, reckon so?"

She shrugged. "Perhaps. Now can we please get on with it?"

Nathaniel pursed his lips slightly, but did not object anymore. He had adjusted the incantations to suit her purposes, and had memorized them.

_Strange, _Kitty wondered silently. _Why do we even _need _pentacles then, if we're not working with spirits? Or could it be…something else not mentioned?_ Nathaniel had started the incantation, which left no more time for Kitty to ponder on her thoughts.

At first, nothing seemed to be happening. The snow outside was falling thickly, obscuring any view of the streets beyond. Kitty crossed her arms, waiting. Then all of a sudden, a bluish black smoke appeared around the edge of her pentacle, licking like flames, starting to grow upwards. Now, beneath her heels, these grey flames also began to appear. They felt oddly cold, so cold that they felt hot and burning. Nathaniel continued, although Kitty could here his voice shaking slightly. However, as the foggy substance trickled upwards, covering her view from him, the vapour turned a fiery orange. It was neither liquid, nor solid, nor gas. It was just…there, a substance unknown to mankind. Then it slowly dispersed itself around, filling the pentacle and covering Kitty, all the while not touching her.

She could still here Nathaniel speaking the appropriate incantations, but his voice was oddly muffled. Then, as one, the fiery substance touched her. Kitty gave a small squeal as the burning cold liquid touched her form, consuming it hungrily.

Out of common sense, she screamed out at him "Don't step out of the pentacle!" struggling to even open her mouth, in fear that the substance would flow inside. "And don't stop speaking the incantations either!"

Nathaniel's voice went out, due to the thickness of the substance clouding around her. She was alone, and the deafening silence was sickeningly loud. Kitty squawked in protest as the substance, instead of pushing down her throat like she expected, seemed to sink into her skin, making her shiver uncontrollably. She sank down onto the floor. Luckily, the pentacle still held her inside, as it was large enough to accommodate more than two magicians.

Her skin burned cold, but the sweat that came out in small, tiny, droplets were freezing on her very skin. They fell to the floor, tinkling gently. Her body seemed to move itself, and her essence seemed to shift position. Her eyes were shut tight, not daring to open them in fear of what she would see. Her hair stood on end as she felt something like electricity pass through her form, making her shake even more. Steam vented through her pores, condensing down as water. It seemed to be drizzling down upon her. _What the…? It's _raining _in here! _A thought flitted randomly across her mind.

Kitty hadn't realised that her mouth was still open, screaming, shrieking out in pain beyond imagination as she rolled on the floor. Whatever she had been ready for, it hadn't been this. The electricity flowed through to her fingertips, straightening them out. She felt her limbs recoil, flex, and then stretch out again. Her back snapped upwards, until she thought it would break her spine, but instead, it jerked her upwards in a sitting position. Her muscles burned, and her clothes sagged with the weight of perspiration and the condensed steam. Her hair was matted, and she felt it lengthen as the electricity charged through her body. It was as if she had suddenly started to grow.

She had time to think faintly, _My body's testing itself…see if it's working…_ before giving up to the pain, her body slick with sweat. She passed out, before she even hit the floor.

**A/N: How was it? I felt like torturing Kitty a little, I've made her too erm…nice. Well, even if the characters in this fan fic are a bit OCish, it's coz I didn't LOVE their personalities in the first place. Yep, that's my lame excuse lol.**

**Anyways…Natty boy coming up, then last chappie is Barty! If I feel like it, I may add some small chapters before the end, coz Kitty didn't get to end on a good note…but then again, Ptolemy's Gate didn't exactly end Nathaniel's properly (shrug). It could be Natty, then Barty as the ending, or it could be Natty, Kitty, Natty, Barty. Dunno…we'll see ;)**

**Review as always please.**


	21. Chapter 19: Success? Or Defeat?

**A/N: Quite a long chappie, this one. Well, for me, at any rate ;)**

**I could've very easily ended this chapter then gone to Barty straight away, but thanks to Emela and her reviews, she convinced me to like, stretch the story a bit. Anyways, perhaps using more chappies can tie more loose knots and stuff (shrugs).**

**Nathaniel**

**Chapter 19: Success? Or Defeat?**

Nathaniel was shocked. He saw the strange substance hide Kitty from view, but he could hear her gasps and little shrieks of pain. He winced, but continued to speak the appropriate incantations. They were nearly over now. Suddenly, he heard her squeal, louder than before, like a small piglet about to be…well, killed. Out of pure instinct, he lifted a foot to exit the pentacle.

As if sensing his actions, Kitty's voice came over to him. "Don't step out of the pentacle!"

He froze, in mid step, his mouth wide open. "And don't stop speaking the incantations either!" Nathaniel was petrified to notice that he had indeed stopped chanting. As he resumed speaking, he could hear Kitty's cries piercing through the frosty air like a silver knife, cutting through the silent dawn. Then the incantations finished.

"Kitty!" he screamed out at her. He could still hear her wailing out, but she seemed to not be able to hear _his _cries at her. She squawked once, and then seemed to go silent. Spluttering sounds came out, as if she was gagging on her own fear. Somehow, her voice seemed to have been turned on full volume, whilst she couldn't hear him at all. The young magician heard her breath come out in ragged gasps, and he itched to step out of his pentacle and run over to her. Then he heard small, tinkling sounds, as if tiny crystals were falling inside the hidden pentacle. Followed by that was a sizzling sound, and drip-drops of what sounded like water. Even these quiet sounds were magnified to decibels louder than he could've imagined, and her screams…that were normally loud already, came blasting out at him. Small sobs were issuing from inside the smoky substance, until snapping sounds started. He heard a gasp of surprise, before the final big _crack!_

Then all went quiet and still, and the fiery flames started to die down, revealing the body that lay inside.

………………………………………………………………………………………

"Kitty…Kitty. Oh, Kitty, _please _wake up…" he shook her shoulders gently.

Nathaniel was kneeled down in the large pentacle, with Kitty's head lolling around in his lap. Her form was wet from perspiration and water, her hair matted strangely. Her clothes clung to her body, revealing her figure underneath. Despite the current situation, Nathaniel could not help but admire how beautiful she was. More so, now that Kitty looked different. And Nathaniel could tell. Before, her skin was aged and wrinkled, her hair with strands of grey. Now, her skin shone with an aura of vitality, glowing healthily. Her hair, longer than her shoulders now, reached her elbows, and was again, a midnight black. But if she never recovered, what was the use? Being young, but dead?

Nathaniel hugged her body close to his, sobbing gently. He felt the warmth, radiating from her, a beat, within her soul.

_A beat? What the—_ Nathaniel searched for a pulse. _Ga-dub. Ga-dub. Ga-dub._ He sighed as relief washed over him. She was alive. Well and healthy. He didn't notice as her eyelids fluttered, and eventually snapped opened.

"Did you just _touch _me?" she demanded, her dark eyes ablaze. Nathaniel gaped in shock. Not just because she had just awoken like nothing had been happening, but also because he had just noticed that instead of feeling her wrist or jugular for a pulse, he had felt her _chest._

"Oh my God…I er…" he stammered, releasing her from his grip as she got up with a bounce. To his surprise, and eternal shame, Kitty Jones started laughing.

"Haha!" she exclaimed, pointing at him. _"Nathaniel,_ you should've seen your face!"

He was dumbfounded. "But…I—"

Kitty, gratefully, stopped howling with laughter, as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Nathaniel," she spoke softly, her eyes shining. "You now, are being too much of a gentleman."

"Me? A gentleman? No!"

"I was just joking with you. Don't get your knickers in a twist," she placed one hand on his shoulder, standing on tip toe to give him a peck on the cheek. That was when Kitty seemed to notice her appearance.

"Oh my gosh. My body! I've…" she looked up at Nathaniel. "My skin, my hair," Kitty looked at her long hair, "have I changed?"

Nathaniel sighed, shaking his head softly. Kitty looked crestfallen. "But the spell! I thought it had worked! Are you meaning to say that I went through all that pain for nothing?" she demanded.

It was Nathaniel's turn to crack a smile. "I didn't say anything about it not working." Nathaniel reached into his coat pocket, drawing out an old scrying glass. "Look."

Kitty peered down dubiously at her own reflection. Her eyes widened in shock, and she collapsed down onto the floor, still staring at herself.

"I'm…I'm…" she said breathlessly.

_"Beautiful,"_ Nathaniel completed. Kitty stared up at him, grinning. He blushed. "Anyways," Nathaniel was inclined to change the subject. "I reckon I know why we needed two people for the spell." Kitty's gaze was boring into him. Nathaniel felt like as if she could read his _soul_.

He cleared his throat. "Well, you were in so much pain, you wouldn't have been in a state able to continue speaking the incantations, right? And if you hadn't told me to continue talking, I would probably have stopped too…"

She nodded. "You haven't noticed the other thing?"

He frowned. "What other thing?"

Kitty smiled solemnly. "We still needed pentacles, because, well, the energy I used to restore my health and youth, was probably taken from the Other Place, from a spirit."

Nathaniel's jaw dropped open. _Energy? Not—_

"No, Nathaniel. I know what you're thinking. No entity resides in me. We just stole some of its energy, that's all. And I'm hazarding a guess that when I went to the Other Place, my body had started deteriorating and was dying. When I came back, it was in a different condition, so my soul didn't line up to it. Like a jigsaw not lining up."

"Transcription errors," he said. Kitty nodded.

"Yep. And when that happened, when my veins and sinews and muscles et cetera didn't line up, my body stopped functioning properly, I guess."

"And so your blood didn't flow like normal, and—"

"Uh-huh," Kitty cut him off.

Nathaniel grinned. "They never taught you all this other stuff at school?" he asked.

Kitty shook her head. "Unlike _you,_ privileged magicians, we commoners did not get proper schooling," she sniffed.

Nathaniel's grin widened. "Well, in that case, I know what to do."

Kitty narrowed her eyes. They both knew that smug smile of his never brought about any good.

_Well, she's wrong this time,_ Nathaniel thought.

"What are you going to do?" Kitty asked suspiciously.

"Well, I'll take up the offers into being Prime Minister of course," said Nathaniel simply.

Her eyes widened. "You're…" she seemed loss for words. "Are you _still_ that power hungry magician, John Mandrake?" she screeched at him. "I thought you've changed!"

Nathaniel smiled serenely. "I haven't finished yet, Kitty."

Kitty stood, panting. She looked crestfallen. Angry tears began to well up in her eyes. "Do you think I care what y—" she seemed to think better of it. _"Well?" _she hissed.

"After changing some severe matters on the ruling of this country, for the good of the people, I'll give up the job as magician, earn a living by doing something else, and be known, after that, as the boy Nathaniel."

**A/N: Teehee…now you'll have a small view as what's gonna happen. But only subtle hints now. You still don't know how Natty's gonna change everything!**

**I was gonna name this chapter 'Success', but that would've been a spoiler. But now, you know!**

**After are Kitty, Nat, and Barty. And I'm pretty sure that's going to be the final and ending of this fan fic!!!**


	22. Chapter 20: Aftermath

**A/N: Blah. Just stuff and info…until the ending ;) I got a lil' surprise for ya'guys.**

**Kitty**

**Chapter 20: Aftermath**

"I really do thank you for helping me with all this, Becky," Kitty told Ms. Rebecca Piper, ex-secretary of John Mandrake, and current Deputy Police Chief (she had replaced Jane Farrar).

"Oh, not at all, Kitty. Not at all," Becky replied, smiling. The two ladies were sitting in Piper's office, shuffling through papers and organising events. Since Kitty didn't want to help rule the country or assist in political issues anymore, she had decided to make herself useful by helping to do additional work: such as aiding to sort out documents and papers by date and categorizing them appropriately. It was such dull work, but she didn't mind. The company of Rebecca was pleasant, as both of them were near in age and personality, even if Kitty had a stronger character.

Nearly four years had passed since Kitty's transformation back to youth, and she was once again her lively self. After trying for a few months with politics and helping Nathaniel govern the country, the now 21-year-old girl found it too stressing, and resumed her post as Nathaniel's helper. Currently Prime Minister, he sometimes questioned her opinion on current affairs and situations, where she would gladly help resolve them. For once, Kitty was able to make a mega change in history. As the earlier months went by, Kitty Jones had started to open a library, for magicians _and_ commoners. It was an immediate success, and with the public knowing that the magician John Mandrake had—well…not _married—_but had developed an association with a certain commoner, Kitty Jones, the general mood and support for the government became increasingly higher. The people's standards and quality of living gradually rose, and Nathaniel was known as one of the best Prime Ministers England had ever had.

Kitty smiled silently to herself. Who would've thought she would've been a library owner one day? Who would've thought she'd end up _here, _of all places? Not to mention positions.

London had changed so much now, and with Nathaniel's help and support, the country began to thrive, with health and vitality, flourishing with food and thriving with happiness. It wasn't easy, but Nathaniel had managed it. The only thing that was left was to solve the problem of new, power-hungry magicians; and of course, the fact that the commoners didn't get a say in anything. The apprentice-choosing problem also remained, and Nathaniel was personally involved in finding a solution. Kitty was sure he still remembered how he had been plucked away from his family.

He had assured her that after the apprentice problem, the governmenting, and the rights for commoners were all cleared, he would resolve to sticking with his promise made over three years ago.

As if the boy—no, _man—_had read her mind that she had been thinking about him, the door creaked open, and Nathaniel strode swiftly into the room, looking quite agitated. Kitty frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I…erm…Kitty," he seemed to be quite speechless. Then a rush of words came out so fast that she barely had time to hear what he had said. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" he sounded like he wanted to get it over with.

"Of course," Kitty replied cautiously. "Are you sure your alright?"

"Yes, yes. Of course, nothing to worry about…" he waved his hand dismissively, then glanced at Piper, who was listening intently from over by the documents.

Taking hint, she stood up, "Ah, I'll just leave you two alone, shall I?" She exited to room.

Kitty waited until Rebecca had shut the door, then she turned to Nathaniel. "What?"

The magician fidgeted with the cuffs on his suit. He seemed to regret asking her. "Well…many changes have taken place!" Nathaniel squeaked, a voice at least an octave higher than usual.

Kitty narrowed her eyes. He could've just said that in front of Ms. Piper. It was definitely not the reason he was here. She kept silent.

"You'll notice…that all is going…_according_ to plan. Now we can finally change the way this country is run, and the Circle of Rulers."

"Yes…perhaps."

"I…erm…you'll see now, differences between England, Prague, France. Why, we've even had a truce with America!"

Kitty was getting fed up. She decided to complete all the stuff he was going to blabber on about, so he would have nothing else to say, and would get to the point. "Uh-huh. Including all the transfiguration of the living standards of the citizens; the great harvest and flourishing of the English; the growth of our crops and the quality of our products; the rights and equality of men and women; the conditions in mood and personalities. Not even mentioning the stock raises and price marketing funds on our goods."

Kitty, having said all of this in one breath, stopped herself to regain oxygen. Her head swooned quite heavily. She saw Nathaniel's lips move quickly, as if trying to get out all of what he was trying to say, afraid he'd lose the guts. But she couldn't really hear him. Her head was spinning too much. He stopped. And very slightly, her auditory perception came back, even if it was a bit fuzzy, and her head still dizzy.

"I'm sorry," she spoke softly. "What did you say again? I didn't catch that. Wasn't listening well enough."

Nathaniel looked pained, as if Kitty had just made him repeat his whole speech of devotion to Quentin Makepeace's plays or something equally shocking. She also glimpsed a hint of—could it be?—_hurt_, inside his dark eyes. _Was it something I did? Or did me-not-listening-to-him hurt him? Was it _that _important?_

"Well," he started, taking a deep breath. _Maybe _he's _taking in all the oxygen!_ She thought giddily. _No wonder I couldn't breathe! Oh no. I'm wrong. He seems to be taking a calmer approach. A different approach in his words now…_

"I remember that I just said something about changes. I didn't catch what you said after," Kitty said quietly, ashamed. "I was telling you about erm…how different the world was, and how uh…how many adaptations have taken place, on one thing, or between two."

Nathaniel smiled weakly. "Yes. Changes. Like changes between us too."

**A/N: I know this chapter is sorta scratchy, but I soooo wanna get to the next part! Please bear with me! I know it sucks! (sob sob)**


	23. Chapter 21: Questions And Answers

**A/N: Oh gee. This fan fic is getting longer than I thought. I mean, I said ages ago that it was going to be finished, but now, it's soooo long! But guess that ties up more loose ends that Stroud left for me to clean up, eh? (Grumbles)**

**I changed the ending of the last chap, 'twas too revealing and didn't tie in to the entrance of this chap.**

**Natty may sound a bit erm…outta character, but hey, four years have passed! He's bound to change. And I've tried my best to make him stay in character. So no flames please thank you very much. Hmph.**

**Nathaniel**

**Chapter 21: Questions And Answers**

The wind howled outside. Winter was fast ending, but the snowflakes were still falling rapidly. This was it. The moment he had been planning towards; the final phase of his plan—even if it wasn't a very good one. His future basically depended on Kitty's answer. He took a deep breath.

"Kitty," Nathaniel spoke. His voice was a bit cracky, but nevertheless legible. "The past…few years, have been the most calm of my life. Even if I have to rule England, the measures taken were only minor, compared to the tasks set before I became Prime Minister: those troublesome times, when Bartimaeus was still here, and when we were still on opposing sides." He inhaled again. _Here we go_, Nathaniel thought.

"I think we've all had time to calm down from all the tragic events, including your transformation back to youth. Your travelling to the Other Place using Ptolemy's Gate has tired your body and mind, both physically and psychologically. You have had a lot of time to rest and recover yourself, renewing your energy and replenishing your health.

We used to have differences, but by setting them apart and working together, we've achieved our goals. You're now owner of one of the largest public libraries in London, and our changes may affect the ruling of this country forever—in a good way of course." Getting the flow of it, Nathaniel started to gain confidence in his relieving-speech to Kitty. It was crucial he made his points…before the final…_part._

"But after many years of hard work, thoroughly changing the government and economics systems of our Empire's business, have we forgotten to give time to ourselves as well? True, it may sound selfish, but really, after our actions and developments of this nation, it no longer requires the close care it once needed. When everything has settled down, the country may not need my close inspection any longer. It is indeed, tiring, trying to rule and govern a country _properly._

We have probably forgotten our own needs, and what we were after I was found in the ruins of the Glass Palace, but before my ascending to Prime Minister. Have you forgotten the times when we would hold hands and stroll down St. James' Park? Or when we spent our times together, side-by-side? I do not want our careers to be in the way of a normal life."

Kitty seemed to look at him in a dazed way, computing what he had actually said.

"Even though being with you has had me face my most embarassing, shameful moments, it has also made me realise who I am. You may not remember, but I have promised you, that after the Empire has regained its position with proud dignity, I will retire from the position of Prime Minister, to work with you, as a commoner. And be known, once more, as the boy, Nathaniel."

Kitty stared at him. He could feel his throat drying once more. Her gaze was so penetrating, he felt lost in the murky marshes of mystique in her dark eyes. But there was no use now, what was done, was done. All that was left was the last question.

He knelt down on one knee, taking her hands.

"Kitty?" he said, only slightly audible over the howling wind. "Will you marry me?"

The raven-haired girl kept silent. She seemed to be digesting the truth. Nothing stirred. Only the snow could be heard, shimmering softly now from above, and settling upon London.

Nathaniel looked down, ashamed. _Well,_ he thought desperately, _it was my best try. I can't hope for everything._ He stood up, face still faced down. His hair—which wasn't as long as during the Golem Incident, nor as short as the cropped military style previously fashioned—hung slightly over his eyes, hiding the hurt in them.

"Are you _crazy?"_ Kitty asked, her voice incredulous.

"I…I'm sorry," he whispered back. Nathaniel risked a quizzical glance up to look at her face. To his surprise, it seemed to be flushed.

"Nathaniel," she breathed. And now, he finally noticed: the happiness was evident in her eyes. There were small white spots in them, where the snow outside the window reflected off her dark irises…and they were radiating with happiness.

"You are _so _naïve," she squealed. Kitty Jones threw her arms around his neck, beaming as if pure joy had errupted in her chest. Nathaniel was shocked, but he hugged her back.

"I accept your offer," she said softly.

"Good thing too, I was about to withdraw it," the now engaged Nathaniel teased back.

"The only thing missing is Bartimaeus," she said. "Let's do him the favour of never summoning him again. We owe him that much for saving all our lives. That djinni deserves the peace."

Nathaniel agreed. Even if he was sure he'd miss the snide comments, however annoying they may have been.

Kitty sighed into his neck, tickling him gently. He felt goosebumps, but didn't think it was because of the cold.

Outside, the wind had stopped howling, and the snow drifted down serenely upon the city. Within seconds, the whole of London was sparkling like diamonds, on a perfect winter's day.

**A/N: Ah…you guys are too smart for moi. Emela, Ramirez Silver, and InsaneIgor for the correct guesses. Anyways…they're not getting married YET. So you can't say they're too young to tie the knot! I mean, they're only ENGAGED. Ha! Excuses for me ;)**

**Next up, with the last chapter, is Bartimaeus. If I'm not wrong, it should be a pretty long one, since I need to tie up quite a lot of Barty's loose ends.**


	24. Chapter 22: Till Next Time

**A/N: Nya!!! Last chappie. Sorry for the long wait, I've had a pretty hectic schedule.**

**I know Barty'll seem a bit outta character in this chapter, but hey, it's been a while for him (as you'll soon find out). He's bound to change (yes, that's my lame excuse).**

**Notice anything about the name in this next chapter, 'Kristine'?**

**Now, your favourite djinni, for the last time. Presenting, Bartimaeus!**

**Bartimaeus**

**Chapter 22: Till Next Time**

_"Good-bye, Bartimaeus," he said._

_"Buh-bye!" I told him. "May the great Nathaniel, John Mandrake, noble notable et cetera never summon me again." I didn't mean it of course. My emotions then were too complicated…too difficult to express. They were beyond words._

_He didn't dismiss me. He just stood there, staring, his hands raised in preparation for the incantation._

_I tapped Ptolemy's bare, left foot. "Well? Hurry up pal. I wanna go home already."_

_He looked down and shook his head slightly, not as in 'no'…but as in 'what was I thinking?'_

_He looked up, grimacing slightly. "Thank you, Bartimaeus. For…for all the things you've done for Kitty; for London. And…and for me. We owe you our lives."_

_Well, would you look at that! He's thanking me, after a career of more than five, long, difficult years. So I decided to play along. "Well, gee, eh. You've been just as dandy too."_

_And instead of insulting me back like in the Glass Palace in St. James' Park, he just smiled and spoke the dismissal._

_I felt the chains and weights lift up from me, and the Other Place beckoning me towards its peace and tranquility. I didn't strain, I just didn't relax. His good-natured composure had surprised me. Ah well._

_"Good bye, Nathaniel," I said, genuinely smiling at him for the last time._

………………………………………………………………………………………

Aw, gee. I felt something tug at my essence again. When were these magicians going to stop summoning me? I metamorphically sighed—it _had_ been quite a while since I was last called for a task. After Nathaniel had dismissed me, I've been floating around in the Other Place for…oh I don't know how long. So, half-willingly, I relaxed and let my being be pulled along, back down to Earth…

…and plop back, to what seemed like London. I had noticed the Big Ben and the House of Parliament straight away, even if a few other houses and constructions had sprouted up around them. Other than that, everything looked quite the same, with the cold, rainy, gloomy weather, and the…well—the buildings _were_ a bit more colourful, I must say.

I looked around the room. Everything was normal, as usual, and opposite me, a magician of around seventeen looked back at me with very dark eyes, his eyebrows slightly raised. Subconciously, I had taken Ptolemy's form (1), but now, I changed to Nathaniel's. A bit of modification can't do anyone harm. Nat's looks were a bit fuzzy to me, and I couldn't quite grasp his facial features. Across the room, a mirror hung on the opposite wall. I stared at myself and adjusted my looks to match Nathaniel's (2). The boy in the other pentacle turned back to face the mirror too, and for a moment, our faces were right next to each other, though mine was smaller, since I was farther behind, of course.

We both gasped.

Our looks were near identical. Down to Nat's black hair, not too short, nor too long. Right down to the accusatory look Nat always wore his. The only slight difference was that my face (or rather, Nathaniel's) was longer and paler. This guy, whoever he was, didn't look _too_ peaky, and had a slight tan to his skin. His face was also friendlier, though his eyes moderately betrayed that look. He wore a pretty similar suit to Nathaniel's. And a bursting explosion of colour ran across his breast, where, can you believe it, he had stuffed one of the coloured scarves John Mandrake always wore in his shirt, even if these scarves _were_ a bit more classical (3). The only exception was that there were no cuffs. Thank God.

"Bartimaeus," he choked out finally. "Are you?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Who the hell was I then? Even if my insides were swirling in surprise, and my heart was pounding at our similar looks, I boomed out in my deep, rich, voice.

"I am Bartimaeus! I am Sakhr al-Jinni, N'gorso the Mighty, and the Serpent of Silver Plumes! I have rebuilt the walls of Uruk, Karnak, and Prague. I have spoken with Solomon, Ptolemaeus, and John Mandrake. I recognize no master. So I charge you in your turn, _boy. _Who are you to summon me?" (4)

And instead of cowering and dismissing me right away, the boy rolled his eyes. Yes, he _rolled his eyes._ At _me._

"Who am _I?"_ he asked.

I resumed my composure. "Look, buddy, I haven't got all day, if you just tell me what your wish, will, et cetera, is, I'll finish it and be off, 'kay?" I put my hands on my hips (5).

He shook his head. "I am Nathair," (6) "grandson of ex-Prime Minister John Mandrake, or later known as Nathaniel," that boy said smugly.

"Riiiight…" I crossed my arms. Then I actually computed what he had said. "Wait a second," I held up a hand (the universal sign for 'stop', incase you didn't know), "'ex-Prime Minister John Mandrake, later known as Nathaniel'? _You're_ Nathaniel's _grandson???"_ my jaw dropped in disbelief. Now it all made sense. His looks, his persona, his seemingly similar behavior to Nat.

"Hm. Impressive. Nat even passed on his bad taste in clothes _and_ smug personality onto you. How long's it been? Since he was Prime Minister, I mean." Then I realised the reality of it all as the truth gripped my heart with fear (7). "Is…it's been so long…is he…?" I couldn't say it.

"Dead?" The boy asked, sighing. "A few years ago, yes; but his wife's still alive—my grandmother—Kathleen—"

_"Wife? Kathleen?"_ This was all too shocking. I needed time to digest all this weird information. "What the—"

He waved the fact away and sighed again, this time shaking his head in slight disbelief. "Looks like I'm going to have to tell you everything. I must say, your inabilty to talk and level of articulacy surprises me. Grandfather had always told me of your…'witty insults'." He cleared his throat. I ignored the remark, and sensing a long story, I sat down too, transforming into Ptolemy's scribe look.

Nathair raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. I would call him Nat Junior perhaps, or Nat the Second, just to piss him off. Anyways, Nat Jr. rolled his eyes at me, then, to my surprise, stepped out of the pentacle. In a second, I was free to eat him if I felt I needed to.

"I see you've noticed," he smirked. "Ever since Grandfather—aka Nathaniel—ascended the position of P.M., he's altered many beliefs and positions. And he's changed _so_ much. England's a democracy now, and magicians can have children, obviously. Plus, to stop blood feuds between family ties, they now have _commoners_, to vote. They now have rights in elections and public choices. It's not like before."

I nodded silently. I had heard, of course, of London's changes. But the spirits in the Other Place hadn't been the most…eloquent. And I hadn't known that Natty was the one who had made all the changes, nor had I been informed that of all people, Nathaniel had married Kitty.

Nathair continued. "And now, Ptolemy's _Apocrypha_ is not only an essential read for every magician or apprentice, it's followed as well. A bit like our bible. Of course, it's been translated now into many different languages." (8) "Treatment of djinn and spirits are way better than before. We respect them and don't treat them with the same disdain—" (9) I scoffed. He ignored me. "—they used to receive. Kathleen Bartholomew made sure of that."

"Bartholomew," I repeated. Since when had Bartholomew been Kitty's last name?

"Well, she used to be Jones, but then when Nathaniel changed his name from John Mandrake to Nathaniel, he needed a last name. So he chose Bartholomew. Perhaps after you. As in Bartimaeus." Nathair shrugged dismissively. He seemed to not have noticed how inside my head, deep emotions and feelings were swirling around rapidly.

Nat Jr. continued. "And so he and Kathleen got married, and lived happily ever after. Okay, well, not that. They got married and after releasing his name as Nathaniel Bartholomew, Grandfather retired out of politics, and carried on to work the huge public library he and Grandmother had opened together. You can see it over there," he jerked his hand towards the window.

I looked out again, and noticed a stocky building. Short but large. That must be the public library Nathair was talking about.

But Nat Jr. didn't have time for my wonders. He just ranted on. "Grandfather seemed to be very…capable, of changing people's beliefs. He turned out to be a noble man, if having a head for business and politics was noble. But he did it for the good of the country. He's been commited into its history now. One of the notables besides Gladstone." The boy paused and stared at me, catching his breath.

It was so difficult to believe that they were actually _dead_ (10). But I shouldn't be surprised. I've lost Nat once already, and well, Kitty's been presumed dead before too. I should get used to this type of thing anyways, being a five-thousand-year-old djinni.

"You know," Nathair spoke, breaking the deafening silence that engulfed the room. "I only found out your name because Grandmother told me a few years later after Grandfather's death. She said he would've wanted me to know. You were always known as the 'brave, self-sacrificing djinni' to him and the others. He said you deserved to rest in peace and would not reveal your name. He didn't want you to be summoned again in this era. Grandfather wanted to wait until the good treatment of djinni was permanent. Of course, no one knew it was you when they saw your name in the records of djinn. Grandfather's last words were 'Tell him, Kitty. Tell him the name'. You must've made a pretty big impression upon them."

I didn't cry of course, even if inwardly, I was feeling sadness and loss all over again. Just like when Ptolemy had died. Guilt surged through me of the times I had tried to, well, do bad things to Nathaniel. But life's like that. At least Kitty was still here. And speaking of that…

"Nathair, can I…can I see Kitty?"

The boy actually smiled this time—and not just a smirk or snicker. It was a true smile.

"Grandmother doesn't know I've summoned you. She'd probably be delighted. I'm telling you though, she's nearing the end of her life, even if the spell Grandfather performed on her helped her regain her youth and—"

"Spell?" I cut in. "Ah…did you know that it was me who discovered that spell?" (11) Nathair rolled his eyes in such a Nathaniel-like way that I was forced to believe that in a split-millisecond, he actually_ was_ Nathaniel.

"Yes I _know_," he said exasperatedly. "Don't need to be so smug about it. The spell…that's probably why they were so grateful, 'cause they 'owed their lives' to you, putting it in Grandmother's words."

Hey, I didn't want to fight with this lil' shrimp. So I just inwardly swore at him in Egyptian and asked instead, "so can I see Kitty now?"

Nathair scowled. But he was saved from answering when the door opened, and an old woman with familiar dark eyes poked her head into the room.

"Nathair? Rebecca Piper wants to see you downstairs. You know, the Police Chief? She needs help with some spots of bother in her Department, the ones your parents haven't been able to clear up yet. They're up North, so they can't come help right now.

Oh, and Becky's brought her lovely cousin, Kristine along too." A smile curled around the woman's lips. "Says Kristine is practising to go into politics; and of course, little Krissy's a bright young lady, and wonderfully nice as well, if not your age too I presume. Becky wants to know if you can help Krissy resolve some issues she's been set with. We all know how strict and crisp you are, but with Krissy, it's a special case. You're particularly kind to her." The lady winked and began to withdraw her head from the doorway. She caught sight of me and nearly tumbled over.

The mood in the room changed completely: from friendly jokes, to stiff remembrance.

Kitty righted herself—her eyes wide—and stepped into the room. She walked slowly over to me. The door creaked shut, but no one uttered a single sound. Only the faint drizzle of rain outside was heard. The tension could've been sliced through with a knife.

I recognized her of course. The round face, now lined and mature; the long hair, which was now streaked with grey; and the round, burnt-sienna eyes, warm enough to melt an iceberg. I smiled, as if an old friend greeting another.

"Hello, Kitty."

No tears were revealed. She smiled at me, a smile I knew and hadn't seen for what seemed like a century.

"Bartimaeus," she acknowledged. Poor Nathair was stood in the middle, turning his head from side to side, as if watching a tennis match. Even if we weren't saying anything, there seemed to be thoughts passing via our eyes. Nat Jr., of course, didn't understand the sentiment of it all.

"I see time's worn you away."

The eyes twinkled. "Yes, Rekhyt. It has. Soon, I'll be joining Nathaniel."

"Of course. Say hello to Ptolemy for me—if you meet him. And Nathaniel too of course."

Kitty nodded. "I will." She hugged Ptolemy's slim form. I embraced her back. We drew apart. She grinned one last time, before shuffling back towards the door. She opened it slowly turning back to me.

"See you soon, Bartimaeus," Kitty Jones said softly, before exiting the room, swinging the door shut behind her.

No words needed to be explained over our feelings. We understood each other perfectly. And as Nathair dismissed me with curious eyes, I wondered if I really was going to see her again…perhaps not. But I knew I would, one day. Maybe in heaven, or another place where souls all went. Maybe I'll meet her there, along with Ptolemy and Nathaniel.

My essence shimmered, and I felt the draw of the Other Place upon me once more. _Perhaps we'll all have a little reunion—together again._

………………………………………………………………………………………

(1)_ It was pretty automatic. I'm so used to it. So sue me._

(2) _His lips were particularly out of shape. _Way_ too full and cherubic. Nat's were thinner, particularly when he pursed them._

(3)_ Navy blue, if I must say. Well, I bet if you looked in his closet, you'd find magenta and pink. Still, anything better than Nat's. His never got out of style—they looked just as old-fashioned every year._

(4)_ It's pretty annoying you know. Each time I'm summoned and the stupid gits as me who I am, I have to repeat the whole shebang all over again. That's whatcha have to pay for being a noble serving djinni like moi: a long introductory speech thank-you-very-much._

(5) _Nathaniel's never really done this before. Normally, it's Kitty. Hm…perhaps I'm mixing the two together?_

(6) _Nathair. Sneaky name, I must say. Means 'snake', in Scottish. There was a magician named that, during the Lochness Revolutions a few centuries ago. This little boy even had a name similar to Nathaniel's!_

(7)_ If I _had_ a real physical heart that is. Okay, fear didn't really surge through me. Just shock. And surprise._

(8) _Ptolemy got his wish. For djinn and humans to live in harmony. Well, okay, not exactly harmony, but in peace. More than before at any rate. And his _Apocrypha_ was finally followed. Better keep that in mind if I ever meet him again. He'll be delighted to hear the news._

(9)_ Perhaps. It wasn't perfect. But I gotta admit, it _was_ a lot better. No Shrivelling Fires, no tortures, no Eternal Imprisonment…_

(10)_ Gee, I'm becoming a softy!_

(11)_ What? It's not a crime to gloat._

**A/N: Well, there ya have it people. End of story, good-bye, adios. This story's dedicated to all my faithful reviewers. For all your continued support!**

**I'd appreciate it if you'd submit a final review for moi, saying how you liked the story, or just your plain opinion on it XD It gives me great help. No flames please, but constructive criticism is accepted.**

**Keep you eyes peeled for my next fan fics. Perhaps a few one shots will be coming up for the Bartimaeus Trilogy, and a few Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl fan fics (shrug). Well, if you wanna keep up to date on my future fan fics, you can put me on your Author Alert List—just for convenience ;)**

**Till next time,**

**porpierita**


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